Inclusions vs. Exclusion

Inclusion is both the most central and the most complicated theme of “I, Too.” It is important not to read the poem as a straightforward assertion of the importance of African Americans being included into white society. Langston Hughes was indeed writing during segregation, a time when Black Americans were not permitted to inhabit many of the spaces as white Americans, including train cars, restrooms, and hotels. The speaker does emphasize the desire to have an equal seat at the table, whether it is the public-facing table of politics or the table in a white family’s home. However, the speaker has an ambivalent stance towards how that should happen.

While the speaker is banished to the “kitchen,” he nevertheless remains within the white family’s home (3). Moreover, the speaker indicates that he is sent to the kitchen “when company comes,” implying that he...