What light does the poem throw on the pain of being black?

The question is a great one, but it does need a specific
poem.  I think that there is much in Hughes' body of work that explores the pain of
being black in America. There is not much else to say on it because being a person of
color at the time of Hughes' writing did involve a great deal of pain.  Yet, I think
it's important to note that what differentiates Hughes from other writers is that this
pain does not blight or dull a sense of resistance and almost collective solidarity to
strive to make things better.  Unlike some of his colleagues in the pantheon of African
America literature like Dunbar or Cullen, Hughes is very passionate about the idea that
while there is pain in the Black experience in America, there is also a reservoir of
collective strength from which drawing can help make what is difficult something that
represents a source of greatness, a source of inspiration for others.  For example, in
the poem, "I, Too," there is pain at being humiliated, but a source of personal strength
that sees one's contextual struggle in a larger scope and sequence.  In "The Negro
Speaks of Rivers," one sees the wide historical presence Black people have held in world
history, contributing to the understand that what is endured now is part of a larger
dynamic.  In "Theme for English B," there is a certain amount of pain about what the
speaker's existence is lacks connection to the teacher's or the colleagues', but there
is a validation of voice present that acknowledges and accepts what is into being what
should be.  In this light, Hughes' work does throw light on the pain of being black, but
does so in a manner to ensure that this is not the only condition that being black
contains.