What does the "masquerade" represent in the poem jabari unmasked

(Line 9) ?

The term 'masquerade' in the poem 'Jabari Unmasked' represents the people who hide their identity or who pretend to be someone else.

Explanation:

'Jabari Unmasked' is a beautiful poem with a deep meaning which is written by Nikki Grimes. The poet is frustrated, pessimistic, and hopeful all at the same time. The poem consists of three stanzas, and in the initial line of the second stanza, Nikki uses the term 'masquerade' (We despise the masquerade).

Here, the term masquerade represents the people who hide their identity. It means to pretend to be someone that you're not. Nikki illustrates that many a times people of color hides their identity mainly because of the society's expectations.