Homosexuality
Brown calls out the normalization of emasculation of men in today’s generation. In “Ganymede”, men cannot be friendly or over affectionate because these are considered to be feminine traits. Indeed, in Brown’s poems, he highlights how the men are physically unable to express these emotions and instead respond in a violent and aggressive manner.
Race
Brown calls out the injustices towards black people throughout the course of humanity. He refers to how minority groups are still treated like slaves by the state. Moreover, in the poem "The Tradition" Brown aptly states that is is a “tradition” to subject black people to violence, which creates a sombre tone throughout the poems. Yet he brightens the poem with hope through the use of flowers, which he states is “proof we existed.”
White power
The collection of poems also touches upon the still reigning superiority of white people over minority groups. In “Riddle”, Brown states that white people “believe / We own your bodies but have no / Use for your tears,” clearly highlighting the power of one race over the other.
