Answer: The word 'masquerade' in the poem is referred to 'pretending.'
Explanation:
The given poem is the title "Jabari Unmasked" written by Nikki Grimes during the Harlem Renaissance. The poem speaks about the issues that African Americans faced because of their color. The speaker in the poem talks about hiding his identity from the world. The speaker brings to light how people of different color are prone to hide their true self, true identity with the fear of negative comments from the society.
The poet has used the word 'masquerade' in the poem which means 'to pretend to be someone else.' The speaker in the poem is trying to say that though they hide their true identity because of their color they don't like to pretend to be someone else. They hate to hide their true self and true identity.
