A Good Kind of Trouble

“We’re all wearing low-top black Converses. Julia’s are really worn out, and Isabella’s are splotched with purple paint. Mine look like they just came out of the box—I like things neat.”

Julia’s, Isabella’s, and Shayla’s Converses reflect the personalities of their wearers. Julia’s worn-out Converses exhibit her lack of focus on her appearance—she wears them regardless of their damage. Isabella’s paint-splattered shoes hint at her artistry. Their color, purple, and the word “splotched” evoke the image of someone painting haphazardly, reflecting Isabella’s whimsical personality. Shayla describes her own shoes as the opposite of Julia’s: They look new. This contrast emphasizes Julia’s role as a foil to Shayla.

“Okay, like if you eat unhealthy food a long time, you’re going to be unhealthy, right? Well, for too long people have been fed a diet about Black folks. About folks with brown skin. Making them think we’re scary. And that’s how the police have been trained to act. It’s going to take a long time to change people’s minds.”

Momma uses this metaphor in response to Shayla asking whether the police hate Black people. By comparing racism to a diet, Momma illustrates racism’s culturally entrenched nature. Similar to how people’s bodies internalize their nourishment, people internalize racist ideologies that nourish fear. It can be difficult to change diets and improve one’s health, just as it can be difficult to change a person’s mind about a long-ingrained belief.

“Hana is wrong about me and my friends. We are the UNITED NATIONS. Even with that trial going on, I still think Hana makes way too big a deal over race. Isabella, Julia, and I know that for us, race doesn’t even matter. And what matters is us; Hana is being ridiculous if she thinks that me and my friends are going to split up.”

Shayla writes this entry in her eyeball journal after Hana both admonishes her for not sitting with the Black kids at lunch and predicts that there will soon be a divide between Shayla and her friends. By capitalizing “UNITED NATIONS,” Shayla emphasizes that she feels as if her group of friends is synonymous with the global organization focused on international peace, but she doesn’t recognize the role race plays in establishing peace.