Arab-American Literature Blog 3

 After reading and hearing a few poems by Suheir Hammad and watching the film Salt by The Sea, Suheir Hammad’s title “Born Black Born Palestinian “is not literal and has deeper meaning that ties into her identity, cultural background and growing up in Brooklyn, New York. Black, in Suheir case, is not based on race but a political position “in relation to a dominant power structure,” growing up in Brooklyn, being heavily influenced by hip hop means she was influenced by Black culture. Hammad is not black, but she was influence by Black people, she can relate to the struggles Black people in America go through. Suheir has many poems that speak on things related to the Black community, one of the poems I read “Yo Baby Yo” talks about materialism in the Black community “The sneakers you wearing cost more than the soul you sold to pay for them "This quote could also related to materialism in the country as a whole, but it is about the Black community because she mentions name brands that are popular amongst black people, she also uses AAVE(African American Vernacular English) throughout the entire poem, if you read poem fast or on cadence to a beat it will sound similar to a rap song, I think she did this purposefully based on where she was raised. Hammad’s poetry blends her Palestinian- American heritage with the vibrant language of Brooklyn, Hammad uses her poetry to create a modern voice for people like her around the world. Hammad, in the film “Salt of This Sea” is Soraya, Soraya is a Brooklyn-born Palestinian-American, like Hammad. Throughout the film we see the rage Soraya feels at injustices she experiences and witnesses but makes her case more difficult through her inability to choose her battles and contain her passion.