It was published as part of a longer volume-length poem suite in 1951 called Montage of a Dream Deferred, but is often excerpted from the larger work.
Hughes was a prominent figure in the Harlem Renaissance and wrote poetry that focused on the Black experience in America.
[3] The poem was published in Hughes's book Montage of a Dream Deferred in 1951.
[5] Hughes's poems "Harlem", "Mother to Son", and "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" were described in the Encyclopedia of African-American Writing as "anthems of black America".
"[5] "Harlem" is referenced in El sueño, a short story by Donato Ndongo-Bidyogo.
He notes that "Dreams here are not these overexposed things per se but are imagined to be like them and subject to the same forces—they are both visceral and vulnerable, and altogether too much.
[9] Hughes uses the "dream deferred" motif in several of his works, such as "Boogie 1AM" and "Good Morning.