King Jeff

My Kingdom: Self-Love, Advocacy, and Visibility by Jeff Perkins 

Twitter: @blackqueermouth

Instagram: blackqueertongue 

Facebook: Jeff Perkins (jmperkins) 

Tumblr: aquarianlogic.tumblr.com 

Email: jeffery.m.r.perkins@gmail.com 

My name is Jeff Perkins, I’m 23 years old, a native from Kansas City, Missouri, a recent

graduate from the University of Missouri-Columbia and I am a Black queer writer and artist.

When it comes to Kingdom Building I think of what’s important to how I build and become

aware of my identity. Identity is the most important thing to have for everyone, it shapes not only

how you see yourself, but also how you relate to others and your surroundings. Growing up in

Kansas City, I always felt like an enigma to myself, my family, and even my friends. Because of

the things that made me who I am growing up, the way I carried myself, my body image, my

interests, I developed a lot of problematic internalization of my identity.

As I got older, I learned to break and unlearn these patterns and beliefs and shame I had

about myself. I learned that my identity is one to be celebrated and one to worthy to be shared.

Being both Black and queer, I live within an ever-changing intersection that conflicts beautifully

and also arduously. While I celebrate who I am, I also recognize the strain of oppression I face

because of my race, sexuality, and class. There’s a multi-consciousness I dwell within, being able

to see all facets of myself and where they are placed and viewed within a sociological lens.

Because of this cognizance, I seek to be an advocate for those who identify as I do and also

 encourage visibility within the world we live in.

The way I seek to build and create visibility of marginalized identities for Queer People

of Color (QPOC), is through creative spaces and media outlets. As a young creative person, I

immerse myself in literature, music, and visual art seeking to understand how they are

commentaries on the world around us. I, myself, am a writer and artist and as I grow within my

creativity, I want my work to be representative of identities unseen throughout society. Because

having a great foundation in your identity is important, it is vital that we celebrate who we are

and make others aware of who we are. The media, which can include television, visual and

performance art, books, magazines, social networks, and more are wonderful ways to promote

visibility of identity.

To often, society is draped in one dominating image, which for people like myself and

others, cannot identify with. I feel it is my duty as a Kingdom Builder to create a space where

intersectional identities can grow and be understood. The day we all start to realize who we are,

is not something to be ashamed of, but revered and adored is where the healing can begin. It’s

where love can begin. My kingdom is not a castle built to house portraits of merely myself, it’s

here to reflect others who cannot see themselves clearly. It’s a kingdom where we all are the

painters of our identity.