Meet Justice Davis | Spoken Word Poet and Brand Strategist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Justice Davis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Justice, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Writing always came naturally to me. As a child, I was gifted with my first journal when I was around six years’ old, and my aunt took me to work with her. She was an elementary school teacher, and she allowed me to shadow her while my school was on break. To keep me busy when things got boring, she handed me this purple journal. It started as a diary of me venting about the things I disliked about my day at school but mostly things about the emotional harm my parents didn’t mean to cause but they did. These childhood challenges are still traumas that manifest in my work in way that is liberating. Writing was therapeutic, and then suddenly, I started to make my written lines rhyme. I immersed myself in poetry I had no flow from the stanzas that I thought were raps at the time. In middle school, I started storytelling. Growing up in a small Baptist church with a very religious family, you become a public speaker at an early age, recapping Sunday school lessons and acting in Holiday plays. The church pulpit became my canvas, allowing me to create art to be heard by congregations all over my hometown, Kansas City, MO. In high school, my basketball career ended due to some internal insecurities I had about moving to so many different schools (I went to four high schools), feeling as though I had no stability to fully commit to the sport I loved, and being the typical Black kid, one of few, in a suburban White Kansas county that we couldn’t truly afford to live in. However, I knew poetry could consistently follow me and my nomadic family without judgment no matter where I was or who I was. In 10th grade, I was exposed to Def Jam Poetry. What a culture shock! I found a way to make poetry sound cool and I knew spoken word poetry, specifically, was something I was called to pursue. During this time, I was also battling my sexuality as it relates to my faith – another insecurity I held. I found poetry allowed me to express the controversial parts about myself and the world around me in way that resonated with audiences who may not always align with lessons I intended to share. As the number of performances increased, I leveraged my art to share the stories of the voices that needed to be heard – including myself. My passion started by making guest speaking appearances at school: elementary to colleges. Fortunately, my first corporate performance along with my professional career as Brand Manager and Marketer for a Fortune 500 company opened so many doors that were gateways to my purpose – to bring nonconventional topics into conventional spaces while letting poetry drive the narrative to cultivate inclusive thinking. Furthermore, as a marketer by trade, I uncovered my skills of helpings brands and organizations share their stories to the people who need to hear them.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a queer spoken word poet and brand strategist from Kansas City, MO. In May 2016, I received my Business Marketing and Communications degree from Kansas State University. During my time at K-State, I served as the president of the award-winning Black Student Union, co-founded Conversation Café on Race and Inclusion in partnership with K-State’s Leadership Studies program and served as the Chair of the Big XII Council on Black Student Government. These roles sparked my passion around community activism that manifests in both my creative and corporate career. I faced many adversities as a Black leader attending a PWI (predominately White university) which helped me grow my confidence and ability to adapt to diverse environments, or the lack thereof. Upon graduating, I started working for a globally branded Fortune 500 food company, which moved me from Kansas to the East Coast, having lived in both central Pennsylvania and New York City. Circa 2018, I founded Soul Sessions Lehigh Valley in Allentown, PA, a monthly performing arts showcase inspired by its blueprint, Soul Sessions Kansas City which was the first place outside of churches and schools to feature my poetry. SSLV thrived for two years during my stay in Pennsylvania. In 2022, I was named co-chair of the Inclusion & Diversity Coalition, a group within the same company of which I was employed, to help drive our strategic D&I initiatives across the enterprise . I quickly realized that storytelling could help create diverse and inclusive environments in places that need it the most. In Spring 2021, I relocated to Los Angeles, CA, as a Brand Manager, where I grew my passion of storytelling beyond the page, stage, and classroom, leveraging my gift of moving audiences to help brands move consumers. Infusing my gift as a poet with my passion in brand strategy is what sets me a part as an artist. I truly allow poetry to drive the narrative of the stories I tell and help others tell. Beyond writing, I work with small and upcoming brands and businesses who are looking to better connect with their market and consumers. I often facilitate creative and leadership development workshops for schools, universities, and various community organizations. I am blessed and proud to have had my poetry (which often explores themes of love. sexuality, race, gender, faith, and a reflection of life’s trials and tribulations) to be featured at various Fortune 500 companies and have collaborated with organizations such as PPL Electric Utilities, The Chamber of Commerce-Lehigh Valley, VaynerMedia, Reel Goats, Olympus Global, and Philips. However, I am most proud to have created a new lane within poetry that most are not aware of.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I truly suck and struggle with remembering names of the places I like to go or have gone – maybe my brain capacity is too busy remembering poems. Friday night, we would grab food and drinks at Johnny’s Pastrami and Bar in West Admas. We would definitely go listen to some live music at the Rhythm Room LA, and If we are feeling a bit turnt, we would end our night at the Continental or Shoo Shoo Baby while letting loose. We can’t get too crazy because we are WAKING UP to go on some hike at random, somewhere between Griffith Park and Malibu. If they’ve never been to a beach, we would definitely chill at Will Rogers for a bit. By this time, folks are TIRED. We will grab a lowkey dinner at Quarters in Koreatown and dive into some Korean BBQ, right before going home to crash. Sunday Funday – maybe brunch at La Boheme or keep it chill at Pann’s Restaurant. Before that, we may hit up Oasis LA for church. Before they catch their return flight home, we have to find someone’s rooftop pool party, and if they stay through Monday, we are for sure going to Station 1640 for Karaoke.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to shoutout intimate my community: my family, friends, and mentors. Specifically, I dedicate this to my maternal grandmother who sacrificed to assist in raising me in a way that help build my foundation and taught me about God – I never went without or lacked because of her, my mother, stepfather, and dad. I dedicate this to my mom who helped mold my creative ability and my ability to love without reason- she was the most encouraging and loving woman, always affirming me. Last, I would like to shoutout Kansas State University and all the mentors who helped awaken the artist within me – from being the first institution that showcased my poetry in the classroom, on the stage, or during commencement to giving me my first national commercial feature and booking me as a keynote speaker for many events. This also was a place where I fell in love with activism, being the voice for the voiceless. I am because WE are!

Website: https://www.thedefiningjustice.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/definingjustice/