After Tupac and D Foster

Desiree Johnson, or D Foster, arrives in the narrator’s neighborhood when she is nearly 12 years old. The other girls find her mysterious; she has unusual green eyes and does not share much about her past. They only know that she has been in foster care and has finally found a long-term foster home with Flo. She likes to take buses and subways to “roam” around New York by herself.

D’s difficult childhood gives her a worldliness and wisdom that the other two girls lack. While Neeka frequently wishes she had the freedom to go wherever she wants by herself, D says she sometimes thinks she’s too free and wishes she had a mother to worry about her and set boundaries for her like Neeka and the narrator do. Given her past experiences, D identifies with Tupac and his music more than the other two girls, who have grown up in relative comfort and safety with loving families.

D introduces the idea of everyone having a Big Purpose in their life that they are meant to achieve. By having this idea of a future dedicated to a purpose that is more meaningful than just having a job and money, D has a reason to focus and not allow anything to distract her from pursuing her goals. Since D leaves Queens when she is 13, the narrator never discovers what her Big Purpose was or whether she achieved it, but the narrator hopes that wherever she is, she found it.

Neeka is the third girl in the trio of friends that are at the center of the story. She grew up near the narrator in a noisy, crowded family. She has two older brothers and four younger siblings. She often complains about never having time and space to herself and that other people stare at her big family like they’re a circus.

Neeka brings humor to the group; she is more animated and silly compared to the more pensive narrator and mysterious D. Her friends and family often tease her that she talks so much about wanting to be free and get away from her family, but if she ever really got off the block, she’d run right home.

Neeka tells the narrator that she thinks her Big Purpose is to be a college professor. This seems a little out of character because she is a little less academic than the narrator. She is not sure of the subject she wants to study, but she considers law so that she can fight for justice for people like her brother and Tupac who had terrible and unfair experiences with the police and justice systems. As a middle child in a large family, she wants people to listen to and respect her and believes she can achieve that as a professor.

Flo is D’s foster mother, but it is not her real name—it stands for Foster Lady Orderly. This is another instance where the text only refers to a character by their nickname and not their given name. Flo never makes an actual appearance in the novel; all of the information about her comes from D’s conversations with Neeka and the narrator. They discuss how she gives D freedom during the day but has a strict rule that she must be home by nine every night. There does not seem to be an especially strong emotional connection between Flo and D, but D lives with her for three years, the longest she’s lived with anyone in foster care, so they seem to have developed a mutual respect and understanding. When D’s mother comes to take D home, D is a little shocked by how easily Flo is willing to hand her over to her mother, whom neither of them know that well. This is the one time in the novel that D shows any emotion about Flo, and it is clear that she is feeling angry and abandoned.

Ms. Irene is Neeka’s mother. She is also the mother of Tash, Jayjones, and two sets of younger twins. She is very alert and protective of her children, especially since Tash has been in jail. Neeka, who is strong-willed and craves independence, often clashes with Ms. Irene. It is well-known around the neighborhood that Neeka is not allowed to leave their block. The narrator’s mother and Ms. Irene often collaborate to care for their children, have celebrations, and support each other.

Tash is Neeka’s older brother. He is in jail for part of the story because he was accused of an assault that he did not commit. He is gay, and a young man named Sly manipulated him to think they were in a relationship. Sly convinced Tash to bring him to Tash’s piano teacher’s house, then Sly and a friend beat up the piano teacher and told the police that Tash had been involved as well. Tash displays “feminine” mannerisms, and he is open about his sexuality, though not everyone in his community is accepting of him. The narrator’s and Tash’s families are protective of him and worry for his safety; Neeka points out that, as much as they all love Tupac, his lyrics aren’t always friendly toward the gay community.