White Kids Love Popping Pills

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 I grew up in South Florida, Palm Beach County if we're being specific. I grew up in what I would call a melting pot and I was always surrounded by my African American and Latina friends on the weekends.  While I do believe it is important to see color and recognize the differences, I'm going, to be honest, and let it be known that my parents never taught me this.  I was raised to "see no color" and before actually taking time to educate myself on the Black Lives Matter Movement, I thought this would be a great way to raise my children too. 

"You're so lucky you go to that white - people school" (Thomas 7) my friends would often say to me.  At this time I lived in a not so great neighborhood but my Uncle Tommy, an attorney, just so happened to live in a great school district.  We used his address for years so we could "get a better education" but I was just glad I didn't have to wear a clear backpack to school.  For the next 5 years, I would learn how to Code Switch.

Although I have experience with Code Switching growing up, I do not have experience code-switching as an African American teenager, who used Code Switching every day.  At the beginning of the book, Starr says "It's dope to be black until it's hard to be black" (Thomas 11) and I really think this gives a good insight into why Starr feels the need to Code Switch. You see Starr going back and forth throughout the book from Garden Heights Starr to Willamson Starr and she says "Basically, Willamson Starr dooesn't give anyone a reason to call her ghetto. I can't stand myself for doing it, but I do it anyway." (Thomas 71) This quote allows the reader to understand some of Starr's internal struggle. 

Comments

  1. Logan SandorSeptember 16, 2020 at 1:15 PM

    I find it interesting that you have dealt with similar code switching like Starr has. I believe instead of teaching students to "see no color" we need to push for "see and respect those who may be different from me."

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  2. Nalayna HyattSeptember 16, 2020 at 8:22 PM

    Kels, this is a great post. I like how you gave your experience with code switching and how it helped you understand Starr's point of view a bit more. I was also told that being "color blind" was the better way to approach race, but this book does a great job of combating that idea. It would be a great book to recommend to someone who was struggling with that concept.

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