JUSTICE

An African American teen learns tough lessons about fairness.

Justice begins his day thinking about the makeup test he faces following a failed English exam. He wants to keep this from his mother, knowing she would be upset. As is stands, she seems irritated and worried, and he tries to reassure her that he is careful in his actions. He thinks about his friend Eric’s ease with everyone, including the young ladies. Justice is interested in one special girl, Ebony, a biracial (Japanese and black) teen in his English class—which also happens to be his favorite, taught by a teacher he likes. In a school full of African American teens, Ms. Clarendon, a white woman from Scandinavia, is open, popular, and encouraging. Justice is devastated when he sees Ebony taking something from Ms. Clarendon’s purse but even more upset when Ms. Clarendon accuses him of being the thief. The challenge of standing up for himself while attempting to help a girl he cares for gives Justice a powerful lesson in life’s realities for a young man of color. This text for reluctant readers shows how issues of fairness for African American teens often happen in everyday places such as school and home. The narrative has little nuance but is full of the concerns that affect many black teens and will provide a good basis for discussion.

An accessible story for examining important issues.