The way the given poem helped to influence African Americans was:
This poem by Langston Hughes was written in order to influence African Americans to accept their identity, even in the midst of white dominance and oppression.
Hence, this was a message of hope to the African Americans who had suffered racism, slavery, discrimination and many other forms of abuse to focus on their unique identity.
Read more about Langston Hughes here:
https://brainly.com/question/14995766