Noticing Sentences

 It's always better to know. You should always know the thing that happened. If you don't know, then you can't understand what justice is. p105

Honoring the Past "It'll be our job to remember the parts we got wrong and make it better for our children and grandchildren. Embrace our differences, and still find a way to make peace."  p110 "Never be ashamed of where you come from, or the stories your ancestors bring to you. Make them your own."  p122 What the Collective doesn't understand is by honoring the past, our ancestors, our cultures-- and remembering our mistakes-- we become better. p258

Self-Confidence I am able to forget how I'm supposed to feel about  my body and instead I enjoy what my body actually  feels. p279 "...You look at me and you see me struggle through things and you root for me regardless, thinking I'm, like, killing it out there in the world, but when it's you, you don't cut yourself any slack and you beat yourself up. But I'm a regular person and so are you," she says. p314

Family Maybe you can't pick who you get in the beginning, but you can sure  pick who you end up with. p200

Lincoln Award Book, 2021 Way too relatable for my students ... I try not to stare at the scarf wound around her head. It's not that I've never seen this before. I've just never seen it live, in person. Especially here in Brookdale, the place crowned three years ago as the "Whitest Town in Maryland." p32 Privilege A human being would apologize. Would at least put the rifle away. but Mr. Danforth lacks the basic human firmware required for apologies. He rooted out those files and deleted them years ago. Being rich means never having to say you're sorry. p68-69 Emphasis mine. Discussion "Well, here's what I've noticed over the years: People-- men, especially-- are quiet for one of four reasons." She hands me the newly full glass and proceeds to tick them on her fingers: "They're hiding something. They're afraid of something. They have nothing to say. They have too much to say. Which is it for you?" p97 "Suck ...

Quotes But as Zora Neale Hurston famously warned, "If you are silent about your pain, they'll kill you and say you enjoyed it." p2 Poems I Saved Self/ Care p16-17 Panther p18-19 We Shall Overcome p22 Mermaids p26-27 Tsunami p28-29 We Are Wise p33 We Can't Breathe p34 "On Being Brought from Africa to America" by Phillis Wheatley p49 Blessing p72 Lines I Loved "Boy," she demanded, "who taught you to hate your source?" p35

Quotes You don't have to suffer to be a poet. Adolescence is enough suffering for anyone. - John Ciardi Parents Protecting parents' feelings can be a full-time job. p59 Representation "Phoebe, you know all those novels about divorce? They're mostly for the kids who are just starting it. There should one about a kid who's lived with it for a long time. Then you'd see that we all survive it." p72-73 Nope He talks about Kilmer school spirit and how we should stand behind the school, no matter what. p118