Honoring Phillis Wheatley Peters: The Mother of Our Literature

By New Journal and Guide

Listen to this powerful tribute to Phillis Wheatley “’T’was Mercy Brought Me from My Pagan Lan”

In January 2026, the U.S. Postal Service issued the 49th Black Heritage Stamp honoring Miss Phillis Wheatley Peters. Known to us as the “Mother of African American Literature,” her voice was the first to rise from the silence of bondage in 1773 to command the attention of a revolutionary world. For the readership of The New Journal and Guide, in April 2026, National Poetry Month, we remember and honor a woman whose genius was a fire that the winds of history could not extinguish.

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The journey of Miss Phillis began in the regions of Senegal or Gambia, where, at the tender age of seven, she was stolen from her parents and forced onto the brig Phillis. Arriving in Boston in 1761 among “refugee” slaves deemed too frail for heavy labor, she was named for the very vessel that carried her into captivity.

Phillis was purchased by the family of Susanna Wheatley, which eventually taught her to read and write. She enjoyed reading history, geography, the Bible, and British literature. By 1773, she had achieved the impossible: the publication of Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, making her the first person of African descent in the colonies to publish a book.

Her mastery of the craft allowed her to move within the highest circles of power. In 1775, she penned an epic address to George Washington, a man she would eventually meet in person, asserting her authoritative presence in the birth of a new nation:

“Proceed, great chief, with virtue on thy side, Thy ev’ry action let the Goddess guide. A crown, a mansion, and a throne that shine, With gold unfading, WASHINGTON! Be thine.”

— From “His Excellency General Washington,” 1775

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Students of Phillis Wheatley Peters’ poems note she carefully crafted her words. She often wrote with double meaning that allowed her to critique a nation founded on freedom yet maintaining slavery. Nowhere is this more potent than in “On Being Brought From Africa to America,” where her language performs a dual labor. The poem appears to give gratitude to White enslavers for bringing her from Africa to America. Yet, she concludes with a sharp message to Whites, as Christians, about how they view and treat Blacks in America:

“Some view our sable race with scornful eye,

Their colour is a diabolic die.

Remember, Christians, Negros, black as Cain,

May be refin’d, and join th’ angelic train.”

—From “On Being Brought from Africa to America”, 1773

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Reclaiming Wheatley Peters’ legacy is currently underway at the Boston Public Library and the New York Public Library which have become sites of pilgrimage in 2026. Workshops led by Professor Nicole N. Aljoe and Poet Populi Toni Bee are bringing the “Reconnecting with Phillis Wheatley” sessions to the people.

During National Poetry Month 2026, NJG lifts up the legacy of Phillis Wheatley Peters who died on December 5, 1784, at the age of 31. Wheatley Peters stood in the shadow of a young nation that sought to deny her soul, yet she used her pen to speak out about the events of her time. In doing so, she was a ray of hope, carving a path for every Black writer who has since dared to dream. 

As we move forward, let us ask ourselves: How are we carrying the light she ignited? In a world that still challenges our humanity, how do we continue to honor the sacrifice of those whose voices were nearly lost to history?

We honor them by refusing to let their stories fade, and by ensuring that the sacred genius of Miss Phillis remains a cornerstone of our communal narrative.