Class Act

“For some reason, this is the only time when people think it’s still okay to touch someone without asking first.”

In one of Jordan’s many observational comics, he discusses Drew’s experiences with unwanted hair-touching and humorously illustrates the double standard of it. Jordan draws several depictions of Drew touching people without their consent, including a pregnant woman’s belly and a female classmate’s hair. In each instance, the person reacts unfavorably, but they do not apply this same logic to Drew. During one such experience, a student named Ashley (who has a crush on Drew) feels his hair several times despite him telling her to stop.

“Of all the people in the world, the one who’s most like me is my friend Drew. It’s the world that makes us different.”

Jordan and Drew are best friends and are alike in many ways. They come from similar backgrounds, have similar interests, and understand each other. In another of Jordan’s observational comics, he laments the fact that the world separates him from his friend based on their skin. Although Jordan and Drew are both Black, Jordan’s skin is lighter, and he experiences less discrimination. Drew is singled out, viewed suspiciously, and treated as a threat. Jordan draws himself as a small friendly dog and Drew as a large angry dog, illustrating how the world views them differently for no logical reason. This quote helps illustrate the themes of How Racism Shapes the Lives of Black Children in America and Unity As a Defense Against Prejudice.

“It’s not cool to tease someone because of the color of their skin!”

In this scene, Andy’s skin has been dyed permanently green as a prank by his brother (for Andy’s Hulk costume). He comes to school ashamed and embarrassed, which is compounded by his mocking by peers and Mr. Roche; he feels deeply wronged by the treatment. Andy remarks on how unfair it is to be teased for something that he did choose or control. Despite this experience, he does not seem to connect it to how he treats his peers (especially Drew).

“Do they let you be smart here? Or do they try to melt your wings?”

When Cardi De students come to visit RAD for the day, one girl asks Drew questions about his experience at the school. She intuitively knows that Drew is considered an outcast and under pressure and wonders how he manages to survive. She has a particular view of schools like RAD, seeing them as soul-crushing institutions that do not allow students to be themselves. Drew says that he is excelling academically and can pursue anything he likes. However, he is not being completely honest in this moment, failing to reveal the ways that racism shapes his school life—further reinforcing the theme of How Racism Shapes the Daily Lives of Black Children in America.

“If our school is so broke, how come the football team got new uniforms?”

During the Cardi De students’ visit, they make various observations about the disparities between their school and RAD. RAD is an expensive, privileged school, boasting a cafeteria with high-quality food, a large library, and a track field. The Cardi De students begin asking their teacher questions about why their own school is lacking in so many areas, particularly when it comes to books. The teacher makes the excuse that the school does not have the budget for a library, but the students see through this. The truth is that the school prioritizes sports because it does not view its students as having academic potential. This is another way in which Racism Shapes the Daily Lives of Black Children in America.

“I love to read, but I’ve literally read every book in the boxes.”

The Cardi De students feel disappointed and embarrassed when they realize how little their school has compared to RAD. It becomes evident that their own school does not view them as having academic potential because it fails to prioritize academics in any way. The school’s limited budget is instead devoted to its football team. The students point out that they do in fact enjoy learning and would very much appreciate the opportunity to learn more; however, this quote reiterates the novel’s theme of How Racism Shapes the Daily Lives of Black Children in America.

“As you get older, you’ll realize that sometimes even everything isn’t enough.”

When Liam’s family’s butler, Mr. Pierre, ushers Jordan and Drew to the swimming pool, he lets them in on a secret: Liam does not have many friends. Drew scoffs when he hears this, commenting on how much of everything else Liam seems to have. He naively assumes that because Liam is rich, he must be happy and fulfilled. Mr. Pierre points out that Liam experiences social ostracism due to his class. To a degree, Liam’s experiences parallel Drew’s, as they both often feel left out due to circumstances they cannot control. It takes Drew several weeks to admit this to himself, but he and Liam do eventually make amends.

“Do you know how many families could live here? And it’s just the five of them.”

Drew points out the social inequality between families like his and families like Liam’s. Jordan can sense that something is wrong with Drew when they visit Liam’s house, and Drew confesses that he is shocked by the sheer size of the mansion. Drew and his grandmother live in a small apartment, and he knows that many families could fit inside Liam’s mansion. He starts to think he and Liam may never understand each other. This is part of Drew’s character arc, as he comes to terms with the fact that he should not judge Liam based on his parents’ wealth.

“Just know that everything isn’t always as it seems.”

Throughout the boys’ evening at Liam’s mansion, Mr. Pierre encourages Drew to withhold judgment toward Liam for his wealth. Mr. Pierre is a Black man whose family lives in Haiti; he works for Liam’s family to earn money to send back home. Due to his unique position, Mr. Pierre understands both sides of this conflict: He knows why Drew is reacting so harshly but wants him to consider whether or not such judgement is fair. Furthermore, Mr. Pierre encourages Drew to look beyond the obvious and see that Liam is actually a lonely, neglected boy who needs friends like Drew.

“It’s like they want diversity for their kids, but not for themselves.” 

Drew and Jordan discuss the future of their friendship with Liam and whether or not it is possible to reconcile the class differences between them. Jordan mentions that Liam’s parents hold dinner parties but never invite his parents, and Drew wonders if Liam will grow up to be the same way. He points out that many adults seem to want their children to go to diverse schools and be inclusive—but refuse to follow suit themselves. This hypocrisy is something that comes up throughout the novel and helps shape its theme, How Racism Shapes the Daily Lives of Black Children in America. Eventually, the boys reunite with Liam, showing Unity As a Defense Against Prejudice.

“I wish friendship came with a textbook.”

As Drew grows up, he learns how to navigate differences, friendships, and systemic issues that he must face as an African American. After visiting Liam’s mansion, Drew feels lost and distant from Liam. He wonders if Liam could ever possibly understand him or his life and views their disparities as deeply unjust. Drew consults Jordan whenever he has a problem, as the two seem to have a friendship that comes naturally. He ultimately wants to rebuild a friendship with Liam but does not know how.

“Never stop drawing! That’s who you are! My grandma always tells me not to be afraid of failing, be afraid of regret.”

Throughout the story, Jordan struggles with who he is and the fact that he is younger than his peers. He also struggles with his racial identity, as peers and teachers treat him as if he is not Black. He confesses to Drew that his mother does not want him to go to art school, and that he is starting to see drawing as a waste of time. However, Drew insists that Jordan remain true to himself and continue to draw, thus illuminating the novel’s theme of Staying True to Oneself.

“What good is having people like you if you don’t like you?”

One of the themes of Class Act is Staying True to Oneself. As the story progresses, Drew becomes increasingly frustrated with himself and the world around him. He feels as if everyone has to put on an act to fit in, and that nobody has the strength to be who they truly are. Drew finds this disheartening and wonders what the point of it all is. He recognizes Alexandra as the one student at school who is always genuine and true to herself, so he seeks her advice on the matter. Alexandra tells Drew that it is more important for him to like himself than for others to like him.

“I would like to think of the RAD community as ever-learning and ever-evolving.”

More than halfway through the school year, RAD finally decides to start taking some initiative toward diversity and inclusion. Unfortunately, their first attempt at this is unsuccessful and offensive. They hold an assembly in which they show a movie with heavily stereotyped Black characters (The Mean Streets of South Uptown). Drew and Jordan are horrified, and a visual of them falling through their seats into oblivion is included to illustrate this. The irony of the moment is palpable, as the school preaches an effort to be more sensitive and then takes a turn in the opposite direction, continuing to show How Racism Shapes the Daily Lives of Black Children in America.

“For those of you who know me, you know I don’t care if you’re Black, white, Native, Latin-X, Asian-X, striped, or checked… unless, by ‘check’ you mean you’re from the Czech Republic… in which case I care about you deeply.”

In an attempt to be more inclusive and sensitive to different ethnic groups, Mr. Roche makes an ignorant remark about these groups while including groups that do not exist. He compares Black and Asian students to fictional checked and striped people. As expected, Mr. Roche then attempts to turn his foolish remark into a joke. Although Mr. Roche claims to be aware of his biases and have a desire to improve, his actions never indicate that he actually cares or changes.

“I guess if that’s all you ever see in TV shows, books, and movies… Then that’s the only thing you’ll ever think we are.”

After RAD’s showing of the film, The Mean Streets of South Uptown, Jordan draws another comic. In it, he doubts the school’s desire to improve and be more inclusive. Jordan remembers watching an old sitcom with his father, which depicted a Black family who was always experiencing hard times. He draws a parallel between the show and the film shown at school, remarking on how Black people are always depicted as struggling and unhappy in media—once again illuminating How Racism Shapes the Daily Lives of Black Children in America.

“Well, it’s not temporary for us.”

Andy looks back on his experience having green skin and being mocked for something outside of his control (after Halloween). He voices being grateful that his experience was only temporary, continuing to ignore the fact that the same experience is permanent for Drew and other people of color. In this quote, Drew makes an important observation about how he will have to spend his entire life dealing with prejudice. There is nothing he can do to completely escape it, and he desperately wants people like Andy to change their attitude about race and ethnicity.

“I see how YOU live, and I see how I live, then I see my grandmother, who is up there in age, and still has to work SO HARD… while your mom is like… playing tennis and stuff.”

Racism Shapes the Lives of Black Children in America: This happens at both a systemic and a personal level. Drew is aware of this issue, as he experiences it daily in various forms. When he visits Liam’s mansion, he becomes distraught when he considers how hard many people have to work for so little. He sees injustice in the fact that people like his grandmother have to work hard and receive little for it, while people like Liam’s mother can spend their days playing tennis and relaxing.

“If you really wanna feel what we feel… then you really gotta FEEL what we FEEL.” 

Drew wants to reconcile his friendship with Liam, but in order for him to do so and move past his judgment, he needs Liam to understand what it is like to be without privilege. He knows he cannot simply explain this to Liam with words, so Jordan suggests visiting his house—so Liam can experience life in the inner-city. While Liam is nervous about the idea at first, he agrees for the sake of friendship. The experience teaches Liam a great deal about his friends, and the gap between him and Drew starts to close. This quote illustrates the novel’s theme of Unity As a Defense Against Prejudice.

“And while the Drews go through life honest, but poor… The Andys become dishonest, but rich!”

In one of Jordan’s comics, he discusses the injustice of a person’s character having little to do with whether or not they succeed in life. He observes that people like Drew, who are honest and hardworking, may never be able to escape poverty. On the other hand, people like Andy, who are entitled and lazy, often succeed due to looks, connections, or generational wealth. One of the main reasons for this disparity is race—people who are not white are afforded less opportunities to succeed, often regardless of how much they work (like Drew’s grandmother). This is one way in which Racism Shapes the Lives of Black Children in America.

“We realize the only way for you not to be uncomfortable here all of the time… is for the adults to be equally uncomfortable at least some of the time.”

Jordan is pleasantly surprised to find out RAD is finally doing something right: They are sending many of the staff off for diversity training. In Jordan’s comic before this moment, he comments on how he is fairly certain the school will fail at yet another attempt at inclusiveness. When the school seems to actually be making an effort, he is relieved and feels hopeful that the quality of life for him and other students of color at RAD will improve moving forward.

“So, you’re Jordan’s white friend from school?”

When Liam visits Jordan’s house, Jordan takes him to meet his neighborhood friends. Like Drew felt out of place at Liam’s mansion, Jordan’s friends single out Liam as Jordan’s white friend. Jordan does not appreciate his friends typecasting Liam this way, but rather than argue, he simply corrects them and moves on. Liam finds himself fitting in and having fun with Jordan’s friends, and the experience demonstrates Unity As a Defense Against Prejudice.

“We should probably try to stop being so hard on each other.

And on ourselves.”

Drew and Liam put their differences aside, with the former promising to stop judging the latter and start being more open, even confessing that he would like to visit Liam’s home again soon. Liam suggests that all three of them go easier on each other. He knows life is not easy for anyone, that everyone has problems that weigh them down. He hopes that they will continue to rely on each other for support and understanding. This quote helps illustrate the novel’s theme of Unity As a Defense Against Prejudice.