How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
The Mike Douglas Show wasn't the only place to find colored people on television. Each week, Jet magazine pointed out all the shows with colored people. My sisters and I became expert colored counters. We had it down to a science. (18.12)
This game of counting black people on TV shows that there are very few black people represented on TV and in the media at this time. In fact, there are so few people that you can count them.
Quote #8
It hadn't occurred to me that Cecile didn't own a hot comb or curling iron, even though that fact was a big and thick as her unpressed braids. She'd said, "Naughty? Your hair ain't naughty. It ain't misbehaving. It's doing what God meant it to do." (24.2)
Cecile sets the girls straight when they think their hair is "misbehaving" simply because it's a little hard to tame, explaining that this is how it's supposed to be. This exchange makes Delphine realize how much she expects everyone to look like white people. Even if they have black skin, she still thinks they should have straight hair.
Quote #9
These people didn't look like any white people I had ever seen. Even their skin was paler, their hair more white than yellow. (25.23)
We can tell that Delphine is still figuring out this whole race thing. Why? She's still learning how to talk about race. Part of her journey is understanding why it's okay to talk about race in certain situations (like at the Center) and not cool in other scenarios (like asking Hirohito about his race).