How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
Cops murdering. Cops murdering a black kid. White cops murdering a black kid. My father turning at the first shot to see the kid standing there, his arms raised above his head. The second and third shots. The kid falling. My father's face, first surprise, then anger, then fear maybe—that his friends could do this, could be so afraid of a black boy that they could shoot without thinking, without remembering that he, Officer Green, was black, that black wasn't a dangerous thing. (4.20)
This quote touches on a really uncomfortable element of racism: Even though the white officers know that being black in and of itself does not make a person dangerous, there's a part of them that doesn't know this, that responds to fear and panic in a way that reveals their true feelings and prejudices.
Quote #5
And I didn't answer. Because, back then, I couldn't imagine being anything else. I loved Mama's skin, loved the way it smelled and felt. I loved looking in the mirror and seeing my own brown face staring back at me. Even if there weren't a whole lot of black people in Denver, the mayor was black and I was black and Lulu was, too. And my family and Grandma. The thought of waking up anything or anybody else scared me. (5.8-9)
For Toswiah, at this point in the novel, being black is just part of who she is. It's not something she wants to change because then she would be changing part of her identity—which, of course, is exactly what she later has to do. All her favorite people are black… so why does her sister say she hates being black?
Quote #6
"They thought it was gang related—"
"Because he was black. That boy was standing, facing them, with his hands raised. And they shot him. Both of them. Bullets came from both guns. We both know that. We all know that." (5.20-21)
Why is it important that bullets came from both guns? The book could have taken essentially the same course even if only one white cop had shot Raymond Taylor. What's different because the incident involves two white cops instead of just one?