Bronx Masquerade takes place in the Bronx in New York City, a diverse borough with large Black and Latinx communities. As such, most of the characters in the novel are people of color, and their stories not only chronicle their personal interactions but their experiences of racism, colorism, structural inequality, body image, violence, and family dynamics. These lead to feelings of dispossession among the students or a sense that they are not in control of their narratives, lives, and futures. They find their voices and come to embrace their racial and cultural identities through their engagement in the poetry readings held in Mr. Ward’s class.

In the first two poems, Wesley and Tyrone lay out the broad context for students of color living under systemic inequality. Tyrone‘s poem, “Attendance,” immediately calls out the way society minimizes Black and brown teens, calling himself and his classmates “wards and wardettes” (23). A ward is an archaic term for a youth or an incapacitated person who has a court-assigned guardian. He also highlights some of the social issues plaguing him and his classmates: “But first, say no to coke and smoke. / Say no to police brutality / and causing fatality.