SOURCE: "The Whitman Awakening in June Jordan's Poetry," in Obsidian, Nos. 2 & 3, Summer and Winter, 1981, pp. 226-28.

In the following review, Boyd discusses the influence of Whitman evident in Jordan's Passion.

In the preface of June Jordan's latest book of poetry, Passion, the poet acclaims Walt Whitman as the Great White Father of American poetry. She explains she has most recently realized his significance because during her academic preparation, Whitman was overlooked and obscured by the establishment literati of eastern universities. I suppose this is possibly true of some educational experiences, but it's difficult to imagine.

At any rate, this revelation about Whitman has sharply altered Jordan's cultural acceptance of progressive White American poetry. She says, "What Whitman envisioned we, the people and the poets of the New World, embody. He has been punished for the political meaning of his vision. We are being punished for the moral questions...