Jillian Hanesworth made history in March 2021 when she became Buffalo’s first Poet Laureate. Hanesworth is now working on a new endeavor “Buffalo Books”, an initiative that makes reading material more accessible to residents of the East Side of Buffalo.
Growing up on the East Side influenced her to use her artistry to give back to her community.
"I started by obviously surviving and learning how to navigate what comes with growing up somewhere like the East Side of Buffalo, and it’s so unique because you look at the segregation in Buffalo, you look at the poverty rate but then when you go on the East Side and if you grew up on the East Side you might not have a reason to leave the East Side of Buffalo. My school is on the East Side, my church, my family, everything. So it was just a really unique perspective that just made me say that I have to be able to help people.”, Hanesworth said.
Hanesworth had words of encouragement for those who feel unseen and unheard in a society that often overlooks people of color.
“Do what makes you want to get out of bed everyday. Find that thing, do it, lean into it, commit to it, commit to yourself and don’t wait for somebody to show you. Especially Black and Brown kids. We are not told that we could become Barack Obama, we’re not shown by society that we can become great. We’re taught that there are these outliers , but we’re not taught that, that could be us too.”
When asked what she thinks when she hears the words Black women, Hanesworth said, “I think of Earth. I think of Mothers and leaders. I think of some of my own mentors when I hear Black women, and I think of the root of the power, the root of the power lies in the Black woman.”
Hanesworth says she thinks the world is ready for Black women to have their moment, but the world may not quite realize it, yet.
“I feel that the people have been sleeping on women and our ability to lead, our ability to create sustainable change, to uplift communities. They’ve been sleeping on us, but we’re here and we are not going anywhere. I know so many women who are just amazing leaders and mentors and I couldn’t imagine having to navigate life without them. The world might not be ready for women of color stepping up and taking our place as leaders of this movement, but we’re ready so they better just get with it.”