The generational trauma caused by the subjugation of African Americans during the Civil War has been extensively studied. During the Great Migration, many African Americans moved north to escape the Jim Crow laws of the South. Detroit, at the time, was growing into a thriving metropolis due to the auto industry and Great Lakes shipping. It was a logical destination to begin again, but low-paying jobs and racial disharmony curtailed people’s hope for a younger generation to be better off than themselves. Levine addresses this in Stanza 2, describing the “Mothers hardening like pounded stumps, out of stumps […] They lion grow” (Lines 9-11).

Historical subjugation is captured in the phrase “Bow Down” (Line 22), suggesting that 19th century slavery correlates with the treatment of African Americans in 1967 Detroit. The Detroit riot was also called “The Great Rebellion”—a “Ris[ing] Up” (Line 22) against unfair practices perpetuated by police, employers, landlords, industry, and institutions willfully oppressing Black people. Despite its destructive results, this rebellion called attention to the effects of long-term racism and economic disparity. Jobs in the auto industry were low-paying, and rent was so exorbitant that many could barely afford to eat much more than “black beans” (Line 2) or pork hocks.