This Is My America

“Time runs my life. A constant measuring of what’s gone and what’s to come.”

The first line in the text, protagonist Tracy Beaumont establishes the way time runs her life ever since her father’s incarceration and sentencing to death seven years ago. Each moment since his conviction, Tracy has been thinking about the time that her father has lost with his family and the countdown to his execution date. The desire to exonerate her innocent father drives Tracy’s passion for law and justice, and relentless advocacy on behalf of her father, which will ultimately lead to his release.

“Seems to me it’s harder to adjust to life when you’re innocent. Because you think you’re losing your mind trying to prove the truth. But when you’re guilty, you accept it. Not happy about it, but there’s time to learn. Rehabilitation.”

In a letter to Innocence X, Tracy reflects on the challenges faced by incarcerated people like her father, who is on death row for a crime he did not commit. This quote highlights Tracy’s belief that rehabilitation is possible for those who are in prison for a crime that they did commit, but for those who are incarcerated and innocent, their focus becomes solely on proving their innocence, which takes a higher mental toll.

“It’s always been my fear of what the world was telling me more than what I’ve felt about Dean. It’s hard to believe we’d be right for each other, when everywhere I look is a hidden reminder. Magazines, television, everyday micro-aggressions. Beaten down with the backhanded compliments I’ve heard all my life, like ‘You real pretty for a dark-skinned girl.’”

For much of the text, Tracy struggles to resolve her romantic feelings for Dean. This quote reveals the extent to which racist societal messaging affects the way Tracy feels about Dean, and whether their interracial relationship would even be viable.