| If We Must Die | |
|---|---|
| by Claude McKay | |
| First published in | The Liberator |
| Language | English |
| Subject(s) | Self-assertion under oppression |
| Form | Sonnet |
| Publication date | July 1919 |
"If We Must Die" is a poem by Jamaican-American writer Claude McKay (1890–1948) published in the July 1919 issue of The Liberator magazine. McKay wrote the poem in response to mob attacks by white Americans upon African-American communities during the Red Summer. The poem does not specifically reference any group of people, and has been used to represent many groups who are persecuted. It is considered one of McKay's most famous poems and was described by the poet Gwendolyn Brooks as one of the most famous poems of all time.