Existing as a minority in a majority is a recurring problem for many and has been for centuries. Being a minority race with outside races bearing judgments, there will always be a struggle to accept your identity as others attempt to break it down. The poems "Black Boys Play the Classics" by Toi Derricotte and "Blood" by Naomi Shihab Nye both speak of two minority individuals living through a struggle because of their racial background. Because of outside conflicts, both poems emphasize a struggle with race and ethnicity.
In the poem "Black Boys Play the Classics" by Toi Derricotte, racism against black people is prevalent and obvious. The poem describes the contrast between how different races treat each other. As in the poem, the people who only pass by and do not take the time to listen to this boy's talent. They merely ignore the black boy playing his instrument. While the other black people stayed and listened to this boy play and a small white boy who hadn’t yet learned racism. In the same way, as this poem exposes blatant discrimination towards black boys because of their ethnicity, the other poem shows the struggles with ethnicity as well.
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The poem describes the struggle with what this girl's race has to do with her understanding of what she is, because of her cultural background and society today. In the poem, the narrator describes the trials and tribulations she endured when she grew up, believing that’s what made her an Arab identity. Throughout the poem, the narrator's confusion about her identity as Palestinian and American after events alters her way of thinking. This insinuates that there is some sort of discrimination against her for questioning her