Camouflaged Racism

Throughout my life, I was identified by others as an athlete. I was taught to keep my head down, focus on sports, and be the best athlete I could be. From a young age, society indoctrinated me to be cautious of what I said so that others would feel comfortable. As a result, when I started college, I felt short-changed in all other aspects of my life. I had a very difficult time expressing how I felt and the hardships I have faced. One evening, I found myself binging on spoken poetry and began to venture into it, as I appreciated the vulnerability of the form. I began writing and found that writing poetry is my best way of understanding the world, myself, and who I am within society. Shortly after I launched into writing poetry, I started sharing my poems with others.

The beauty of this type of writing allows me to become comfortable in my vulnerability. It allows others to embark on a journey that they may have already experienced themselves, or learn about something they don’t quite understand. I wrote this poem to share the conflicts and battles I constantly face in society. This poem is a letter to people who may not fully understand the frustration from my point of view. I write poems for myself and share with those who want to listen.

[arve url=”https://youtu.be/CnbgDcUN1cA” thumbnail=”https://img.youtube.com/vi/CnbgDcUN1cA/0.jpg” title=”Camouflaged Racism” description=”Truthteller Kieanna Stephens values sharing vulnerability through poetry, and believes that the only way to a better tomorrow is understanding today. Her goal in writing poetry is to help people comprehend the experiences of others—including the impacts of racism.” upload_date=”2020-09-13″ duration=”3M47S” /]