How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
On that visit, we [Shaka and Ebony] discussed a wide range of subjects concerning life, love, and relationships. She shared with me her passion for urban gardening and how she believed it was necessary for Black people to have control over their own food supply, and I told her about my love of writing and my goals for life after prison. By the time our visit ended, we had discussed everything from privately owned prisons to the reasons behind the abundance of liquor stores, fast-food restaurants, and inferior grocery stores in predominately Black neighborhoods.(21.4)
One reason Shaka is attracted to Ebony is her commitment to social justice. For her, justice isn't just about the legal system, though that's important. It's also about making sure Black people have access to healthy food and power to provide good things to their communities.
Quote #8
And that's the thing about hope. In the moment when you feel it, it can seem foolish or sentimental or disconnected from reality. But hope knows that people change on a timeline that we can't predict. We can never know the power that a word of kindness or an act of forgiveness will have on the person who needs it most. (Afterword.14)
Justice may involve philosophy and politics, but it's also about individuals keeping hope and kindness alive. For Shaka, that's not just an idea—other people's hope has been a key factor in his transformation.
Quote #9
We traveled through Zone 8, the neighborhood where Yusef had grown up gangbanging, and continued west into Rosedale Park, a nearby enclave of upscale, middle-class families. As the team looked at the big, beautiful brick homes lining the streets, I talked about the many contradictions and inequalities in our city. (26.48)
What causes the stark contrast between poverty and middle-class life in Detroit? Would improving the situation in one city provide hope for more equality elsewhere?