“Because so many of the poems tonight felt a little like our own stories. Like we saw and were seen. And how crazy would it be if I did that for someone else?”

― Elizabeth Acevedo

I hope to shine a light on how our individual stories tie us to one another and to our world. In my search to see and be seen by others, I will connect the concepts of representation and awareness. I also want to challenge us to see ourselves in one another and explore how seeing yields connection, interdependence, kindness, compassion, and love — the fruits of awareness. 

Seeing and Being Seen

When I think about representation, I think about visibility — about seeing and being seen. We move out from the shadows of misunderstanding, isolation, and fear by seeing and being seen. We break down barriers, faults, and prejudices by seeing and being seen. By seeing and being seen, we understand ourselves more, embrace others more, and open up to the world’s wonder beyond the limits of our own experience. 

The power of representation is all around us. When little girls see women in powerful positions, they learn they are powerful, too. When little boys see men show positive emotion, they realize they can also show emotion. When we see people from different creeds, cultures, and generations, humanity grows to include more souls. New connections are made when we see beyond the stereotypes about ability, gender, sexuality, race, religion, and other rigid thinking. Ultimately, our stories allow us to see ourselves and one another.

Seeing other women and girls with TS — seeing the full and amazing lives that are possible — came very late for me. I wasted many years not wanting to see TS. I treated my diagnosis as a secret I did not want to share. I did not share (outside the confines of a few doctors’ offices and with my parents occasionally), so I did not see. I did not see from the age of 15 (when I was diagnosed) to the age of 37 (when I participated in a TS study at the National Institutes of Health). I did not want to see or be seen. I tried to reject my prognosis and be normal. Seeing is a choice. Being seen is a choice.  

Depth and Beauty

I want to suggest that representation is seeing and being seen. Awareness is making it possible for others to see and be seen. Awareness is the external manifestation of the internal work of seeing and being seen. Awareness happens at the communal level, and seeing and being seen at the level of the individual. There is a lot of talk about “raising” awareness. There is a lot of talk about being “woke.” (“Woke” might be the past tense of awareness.) We have awareness months for all sorts of things for a reason. Awareness is important — Full Stop. It is the first step toward love in action. The progression toward love goes like this. We see ourselves. We see and are seen by others. Story happens. Poetry happens. Love happens. Awareness is all about story, poetry, and love.

Acevedo is asking us to be story, poetry, and love. She is asking us to live awareness. That looks like rising above fear, anger, and shame to listen, forgive, and heal. That looks like knowing and remembering our stories. That looks like telling our stories and learning from one another. Seeing and being seen from the depth of our interconnectedness to the beauty of our differences. That’s the poetry part. Awareness of our depth and our beauty.