Piecing Me Together

E.J. has a gig deejaying for a new restaurant on Thursdays and Fridays, so Jade has the house to herself when Maxine calls and asks what Jade is doing. Jade says that she is just waiting for her mother to come home from work to help take out her braids so that they can redo them. Maxine offers to come over to help do her hair, and Jade calls her mother at work and asks if that is okay. Jade’s mother says it is fine.

Maxine arrives and they start the process of taking down Maxine’s hair. When Maxine’s mother arrives home, she starts making dinner for the three of them. Since Maxine is admittedly “only good at salads,” Jade’s mother offers to help teach her some of the basics of cooking as she prepares dinner. Meanwhile, Jade sits at the kitchen table practicing her Spanish. She purposely recites words that relate to cooking: “To Peel—Pelar. To Cut—Cortar. To Chop—Picar” (225). Jade, Jade’s mother, and Maxine all participate in an exchange of knowledge: “I get Mom to try a few words. And while I am teaching Mom, she is teaching Maxine what a pinch of that and a dab of this means” (225). 

The day Jade has been waiting for—the Woman to Woman event at Mia’s art gallery—has finally arrived. Maxine drives Jade to the art gallery and they arrive just in time for the opening remarks by Woman to Woman’s founder. She introduces Mia along with the other black entrepreneur speakers on the panel. Mia takes the stage and says she thinks of her gallery as the “people’s gallery,” meaning she curates “work that speaks to current issues, that is made by artists from marginalized groups” (227).

Jade looks around the gallery: “We are surrounded by life-size portraits of black women. They look like if you walk up to the paintings and say hello, they will say hi back to you. They look like regal queens but also like my next-door neighbors” (227). Up close, Jade takes in every detail of each portrait; the images of black women remind her of herself, her mother, and her friends. Jade tells Maxine that this trip to the art gallery is one of the best events Woman to Woman has ever had, and then she asks if Mia ever offers internships. Maxine says yes and suggests that Jade ask Mia directly. When Jade does, Mia says that she offers two paid internships jobs at the gallery and she thinks Jade would be a great fit for the role. Mia also says that she would love to see more of Jade’s collage work. The event concludes with Mia having everyone close their eyes and reflecting silently on what they learned at the art gallery. 

Chapter 63 is another one-page fragment, consisting of Jade’s thoughts on the dissolution of her friendship with Sam. Jade jots notes on “How I Know Sam’s Not My Friend Anymore” (231). Sam no longer exchanges looks with Jade in Mr. Flores’s class: “Even when something is funny, she doesn’t turn to me and laugh. She’d rather hold it in, keep her joy to herself” (231).

Woman to Woman has its second Money Matters workshop, again held at a local community church in Jade’s neighborhood. After the event, the founder of Woman to Woman approaches Jade and asks her if she has a piece she would like to contribute to the art auction at their annual fundraiser. Jade excitedly tells her yes, of course—she would love to give them one of her collages. 

Maxine walks Jade home, and Jade tells her mother that she will be donating one of her collages to the auction. Jade’s mother worries that Jade may be taken advantage of—that she will not get anything in return. Jade explains that she will get is exposure within the art community, but she also likes being able to give back to the organization that is helping her: “I like being able to say I’m not just getting an opportunity from Woman to Woman, but that I am helping to keep it thriving. Don’t you think that’s a good thing?” (233). Jade’s mother agrees, but she wants to make sure this is really something Jade wants to do; Jade’s mother also worries that, because the art auction is such a fancy event, Jade will feel out of place, as if she is being ogled like “a zoo animal all night” (233). Maxine reassures Jade’s mother that she will not let that happen. Jade asks Maxine if she will need to make a speech at the event; Maxine says no, but she should be prepared to talk to guests and have a few talking points about her art, her education, and her life goals.

Jade is dressed up and feels confident as she and Maxine get ready for the art auction: “Other than these heels Maxine suggested I buy, I am feeling good” (236).

When they arrive at the event, Jade is pleased to realize that she is not as nervous as she thought she would be—the preparing she did with Maxine pays off. Jade feels like “some kind of celebrity” (237) with all the guests approaching her to ask if she is the young lady who made the collages. One of the board members of Woman to Woman tells Jade that she loves her work and that she would love to hear what her plans are for college. When a couple asks Jade what is the best part of Woman to Woman, Jade answers that the organization “really listens” to the concerns of the mentees.

At the end of the evening, Jade is approached by the winner of the auction: “He is a tall brown man with a watch on his wrist that says he could buy all of the art at this auction and not miss a dime” (238). He shakes Maxine’s hand and says he has his eye on her and is very taken with her work. He asks her what she is working on, and Jade responds by saying: “Right now I am working on a series of collages about police brutality against unarmed black women and men” (240). The man says that the “world is in for a big awakening” once Jade’s art is more widely known. When the conversation ends, Jade reflects on how wonderful it was to display her art publicly at this event, and how she is feeling both seen and heard. 

The following day, Jade and Lee Lee do their homework together at Jade’s house. Lee Lee is working on an essay about media use in social movements, an assignment that Jade finds fascinating. When they finish their homework, Lee Lee offers to recite the poem she wrote for Natasha Ramsey in one of her classes. Jade is impressed by the poem, saying that she wants to “do something with it” (242). It seems like a waste for the poem—not just Lee Lee’s, but the work of her entire class—not to be shared with a wider audience:

For the rest of the night we think up a plan to have an open mic and art show in honor of Natasha Ramsey. We get so caught up with our idea that we plan every detail. Lee Lee will be the MC […] I’ll have some of my art on display […] I’ll ask Josiah if he’ll be our social media person and help us promote it (242).

They want to have the event at Mia’s art gallery: “I sure hope she meant it when she said her gallery was for the people” (243).

Chapter 67 is another one-page fragment that describes the collage that Jade is working on for the upcoming art show: “I’ve been combining moments from different photos, blending decades, people and words that don’t belong together. Knitting history into the beautiful, bloody tapestry it is” (244). In this collage, she takes pictures of recent victims of racist police brutality (Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown) and juxtaposes them with victims from earlier in United States history (Emmett Till). She depicts modern-day figures conversing with historical figures—“Rosa Parks and Sandra Bland talk with each other under southern trees. Coretta Scott King is holding Aiyana Mo’Nay Stanley-Jones in her arms”—and, in doing so, she “rewrite[s] history” (244). 

Breaking from the narrative of Jade’s life, Chapter 68 is Jade’s historical imagining of Lewis and Clark’s journey with a focus on York’s involvement:

1805. Lewis and the rest of the explorers reached the Pacific Ocean in November. […] After all those days searching for the Missouri River, after being trusted to carry a gun, after being listened to, after having some kind of say, York return to St. Louis with the others. The others were welcomed back as national heroes. […] But York? He didn’t get anything (245).

Jade wonders if maybe York was fine without getting land, so long as he got his freedom: “All York wanted was to hold on to that feeling, that feeling when you stand at the ocean, letting the water brush up to your feet and run away again” (246). In 1816, York was eventually freed from slavery, but even with his freedom, Jade notes that York had nothing to pass on to his children. She connects York’s having nothing to give with the present: “And isn’t this what the man in the Money Matters workshop was telling us when he was explaining how it is that some are rich and some are poor?” (246).

Chapter 69 is a one-page fragment that reveals that Mia is enthusiastic about the idea of a community art show for Natasha Ramsey and agrees to host it at her gallery. The chapter also describes the whirlwind of work going into preparing for the event: “Mia was so excited about our idea that she decided to call up a few of her friends, and now we have three professional artists who’ve donated their work for the event” (247). Local high school students will also contribute art for the show. Lee Lee is working on a new poem, while Jade works on her collage: “The only noise in the kitchen is her pen on the page crossing out and adding in, writing and rewriting stanzas, mixed with the slicing of scissors, the tearing of paper. On and on we go until the sun meets the moon” (247). 

In Spanish class, Mr. Flores pairs Jade and Sam together for partner work. Their assignment is to improvise a conversation in Spanish based on words written on flashcards. Sam seems nervous: “Sam bites her lip and picks up the card that’s on top” (248). Sam begins, practicing the basic conversational skills according to the cards: “Jade, qué vas a hacer esta noche?” (248). When it is Jade’s turn to initiate the conversation, she uses her own words and begins by saying “Lo siento,” to which Sam replies, “Yo también” (249). Jade says that Maxine advised her not to give up on people; Sam says that her grandfather says that she has a lot to learn and that she needs to learn to listen more. Sam admits that she is uncomfortable talking to Jade about race because she feels powerless to do anything to fix the situation. Jade tells her that it is not about needing to do anything but just about her listening to Jade’s feelings: “When you brush it off like I’m making it up or blowing things out of proportion, it makes me feel like my feelings don’t matter to you” (249). 

At the end of Spanish class, Mr. Flores calls Jade to his desk. When the rest of the students have emptied into the hallway, Mr. Flores says how proud he is of her for all that she is doing for Natasha Ramsey. Mr. Flores plans to attend the art show, and he even intends to give extra credit to any student who attends. Then, Mr. Flores closes the classroom door. He tells her he wanted to speak about the study abroad program. He apologizes to her: “I’ve been thinking about what you said. And I wanted to let you know I am so sorry I overlooked you” (251). Mr. Flores then reveals that he spoke with Mrs. Parker, and so long as Jade keeps her grades up, they have reserved her a spot in the program for next year. Jade thanks him, but he tells her there is no need to thank him—Jade earned this. 

Hearkening back to Chapter 63, in which Sam ruminates on “How I Know Sam Isn’t My Friend Anymore,” Chapter 72 is a one-page fragment with Jade’s thoughts on her reconciliation with Sam. Jade jots notes on “How I Know Sam Is My Friend” (251). There are mundane indicators (“We ride the bus to and from school together”), but also Jade determines that the central problem that drove them apart has been resolved: “When we misunderstand each other, we listen again. And again” (253). 

Jade, Lee Lee, and Sam all sit together at the kitchen table in Jade’s house. The three of them are working out a plan for the art gallery event for Natasha Ramsey: E.J. is going to deejay, Mia will manage any art purchases, Maxine and Mia will be responsible for promoting the event, Josiah will set up a livestream for people who are not able to attend, and Sam will be a greeter.

Sam wonders if there is anything else she can contribute, and Lee Lee suggests that they print out poems that Sam, or anyone else who would like to take the mic, can read aloud. Same chooses a poem to read by Martin Espada titled “How We Could Have Lived or Died This Way” (255). 

The night of the event for Natasha Ramsey has arrived: “The gallery is full of family, friends, and community members. Everyone from Woman to Woman is here because Sabrina made this an official monthly outing” (256). Jade does not realize the full extent of the crowd until she stands at the front of the stage and looks out, seeing her mother and father, along with Mrs. Parker from St. Francis; even the parents of Natasha Ramsey are in attendance. Jade takes a picture of the crowd: “This one, I will not rip or reconfigure. This one, I will leave whole” (257).

Chapter 75 reproduces Lee Lee’s poem, which is titled “Black Girls Rising” (258). The poem is a call to other black girls for freedom and empowerment. The poem begins with “Our black bodies, sacred. / Our black bodies, holy” (258). The body of the poem alludes to the violence that threatens black girls on a daily basis:

This black girl tapestry, this black body / that gets dragged out of school desks, slammed onto linoleum floor, / tossed about at pool side, pulled over and pushed onto grass, / arrested never to return home, / shot on doorsteps, on sofas while sleeping / and dreaming of our next day (259).

It ends with “Our bodies so black, so beautiful. / Here, still. / Rising. / Rising” (259).

The final chapter of the book contains more of Jade’s reflections on York: “In 1832 Clark reported that York was on his way back to St. Louis to be reunited with him” (260). Clark claimed that York was not happy with his freedom and wanted to go back to work for Clark—but Jade does not believe that story.

Instead of York returning to Clark, Jade imagines York traveling west:

I see him crossing rivers, crossing mountains, seeing Native Americans who were so awed by him. This time he is no one’s servant or slave. This time he tells them the whole story, tells how he is the first of his kind. This time he speaks for himself (261).

Jade imagines herself traveling alongside York, both of them free and black, “discovering what we are really capable of” (261).