I’ve always known grief as intimately as I’ve known love which led to a deep exploration of cyclical violence in my community. Unbecoming asks readers to read beyond the murder and into the narrative given to Black boys that leads them to choose death on either side of the gun. 

Oakland-born, Richmond-raised, Cierajevae is a Black feminist artivist, spoken word artist, high school educator, and founder of Serving Melanin Collective, a non profit serving Black and Brown girls in the Bay Area. She served as the first Black woman Poet Laureate of her hometown, Richmond, Ca. Her work focuses on community healing,  self-love, and the Black experience. 

I: @Cierajevae