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Growing up in Newark, often it’s about which hobby or which extracurricular is going to save you. 

When I say “save you,” I mean keep you distracted from all of the outside world that could harm a young person. Early on, the thing that grabbed me was poetry. I got the opportunity to be raised in the hood as a performing arts kid. My life was about memorizing and performing poetry, and debating, particularly against white performers and writers. That is a strong memory that I have from elementary to high school—always being involved in oratory competitions, and enjoying winning them.

ARTICLE- https://www.gossamer.co/articles/jasmine-mans