Bronx Masquerade

Bronx Masquerade takes place in the Bronx in New York City, a diverse borough with large Black and Latinx communities. As such, most of the characters in the novel are people of color, and their stories not only chronicle their personal interactions but their experiences of racism, colorism, structural inequality, body image, violence, and family dynamics. These lead to feelings of dispossession among the students or a sense that they are not in control of their narratives, lives, and futures. They find their voices and come to embrace their racial and cultural identities through their engagement in the poetry readings held in Mr. Ward’s class.

In the first two poems, Wesley and Tyrone lay out the broad context for students of color living under systemic inequality. Tyrone‘s poem, “Attendance,” immediately calls out the way society minimizes Black and brown teens, calling himself and his classmates “wards and wardettes” (23). A ward is an archaic term for a youth or an incapacitated person who has a court-assigned guardian. He also highlights some of the social issues plaguing him and his classmates: “But first, say no to coke and smoke. / Say no to police brutality / and causing fatality. / Say no to race hate. / Don’t underestimate / the power of love” (24). He singles out the dangers they face—drugs and interpersonal violence, but also state-sanctioned violence like police brutality—while also providing the remedy: love and understanding. Wesley’s poem about Langston Hughes’s impact—“You made sure / the world heard / about the beauty of / maple sugar children” (20)—frontloads Grimes’s message about art being a tool for both overcoming racism and people of color embracing their own identities.

Characters also deal with inter-community struggles like colorism and discrimination among people of color. For example, Raul opens his chapter by mentioning how “The Ricans and the brothers don’t always hit it off” (30), tension that is underscored by Tyrone’s joke that he didn’t know Raul spoke so much English. Raul’s poem, “Zorro,” gives him an opportunity to cast off negative stereotypes about Puerto Ricans and Latinx people more broadly while embracing the authentic aspects of his culture. Tanisha’s chapter examines colorism and her anger about her classmates praising her lighter skin and “good hair” when those genes are rooted in enslavement and sexual violence. Through her poem, she declares “The slaver’s white drop / couldn’t stop the spread / of African cells” (80), reaffirming her own Black identity and educating her classmates about the history of enslavement. This causes them to reconsider their beliefs, embodied in Tyrone’s observation, “Now I know why the sista hisses every time I call her a ‘caramel cutie’” (81). Her poem affirms not only her personal identity but contextualizes her classmates’ as well.

Even characters like Sheila who is white, grapple with race and racism. Sheila is Italian American and struggles with her family’s anti-Black bias. She connects more with her Black and brown classmates than her white family, so she wants to change her name to reflect her feelings. She also expresses some problematic ideas about Blackness being “in.” While her classmates initially reject her outright, Wesley’s willingness to speak with her about why she is acting this way allows her to understand that her feelings of guilt or shame cannot be erased with a name change; rather, she can be an ally if she embraces her identity and her sincere belief that racial prejudice is wrong. Grimes’s nuanced look into racial identity empowers youth to define themselves through their actions and art and see each other for who they truly are.