Against a deep, talented field of contestants performing song and dance, Dalamari Holman wowed the judges with her brand of poetry.

The Kent-Meridian High School sophomore stole the show and the grand prize in the Kent Has Talent program at her school’s Performing Arts Center last Friday night.

Holman, 16, recited her poem, “The Typical Black Girl,” a social commentary of today’s racial relationships. The poem, in essence, demands that you remain true to yourself and be inclusive with others, regardless of color.

“You don’t have to act a certain way to be a certain race. I mean, I don’t have to be quiet and be white. I can be quiet and be black,” Holman said of her message. “I can be anything and act however. It doesn’t necessarily tie back into my race.”

Holman, who enjoys writing and excels in language arts and drama at her school, one day wants to put her words in motion, perhaps on stage and screen.

The grand prize, worth $500, came in addition to the $250 Holman won for taking the teen category.

Holman, daughter of Thomasene Robinson and Darius Holman, wasn’t sure of her chances.

“50-50, maybe,” she said. “I never performed my poetry in front of anyone except for family and my class. I’m good with people but I’m not a speaker in front of a large group.”

Crystal Martinez, a drama and musical theater teacher at the Allegro Performing Arts Academy, captured the adult division, singing her rendition of “She Used To Be Mine”. Allegro’s Taylor Wilson, 8, a third-grader at Meridian Elementary School, won the youth division and the Audience Choice Award. Wilson, daughter of Teresa and Terrance Wilson, danced to the theme of “Dream”.

Division winners each won $250 from event sponsors. The Audience Choice Award was worth $185.

Proceeds from the event benefited the Kent Community Foundation, which supports education and the cultural arts in the greater Kent area. Bowen Scarff Ford Lincoln presented the program.