Mr. Z

"Disclaimed kinship with jazz and spirituals; chose prudent, raceless views of each situation." - M. Carl Holman

The last question about this poem in the book reads "What is Mr. Z's color?". I think Mr. Z is African American. The text supports this in multiple places, beginning with the first line. The speaker references how Mr. Z was taught that his mother's skin was wrong. After learning about the civil rights movement during my entire school career, African American was the first race that popped into my mind. Saying that Mr. Z didn't want associated with "jazz and spirituals" didn't really disconnect him with his heritage in my mind; it simply meant that he wanted to be more than just an African American. He didn't want to be labelled. The reference to "cornbread, yams, and collards" also hinted at the African American culture. The poem's 4th stanza is about Mr. Z's success, but it's not always positive. He defied stereotypes and became "one of the most distinguished members of his race". That ironic statement contrasted everything the poem had said up until the end. Mr. Z didn't want to be defined by his race, but in the end that's exactly what happened.