How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
The policeman looked at me and said, "Oh. Your grandson, huh? You two look just alike." (12.46)
The policeman thinks that Bud looks like Lefty, even though Bud and Lefty aren't related. If the policeman looked more carefully, or if he were interested in Bud and Lefty as individuals, he would see that they're not related. This quote shows how unfamiliar the policeman is with the African Americans who live in his own city.
Quote #8
"The trouble the policeman was talking about at the factory is called a sit-down strike […] They're going to sit there until the company gives them a union […] The people who run the factories and the railroads seemed to be really scared. To them if a worker has any dignity or pride he can't be doing a good job." (12.91)
Striking is one way African Americans, as well as all laborers, can demand to be treated fairly. Being part of a union helps minorities and the poor stick up for themselves and their rights as citizens. By helping the unions, Lefty Lewis shows us that he cares about his community, and he also shows us that he's willing to put himself in some danger for the good of others, since being involved with unions was pretty risky at the time for African Americans.
Quote #9
Right outside the place was a sign that said, APPEARING FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY IN JULY HERMAN E. CALLOWAY AND THE NUBIAN KNIGHTS OF THE NEW DEAL. (12.102)
Bud doesn't know it, but the man who must be his father has a very interesting name for his band. "Nubian" is a name for ancient Africans from Nubia; knights are fighters; and The New Deal is the plan President Franklin D. Roosevelt came up with to help poor folks through the Depression. So Calloway's band is really like the silent strikers, but they play music instead.