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"Who Trayvon would have been on February 26, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and beyond." P.4

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"Who Trayvon would have been on February 26, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and beyond." P.4

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This quote stood out to me because throughout the introduction the author keeps repeating this phrase and it forces me to think about everything that Trayvon Martin lost when he was killed. The author might've purposely did this in order to get the reader to see how much Zimmerman took from Trayvon the day he killed him.

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"To my newly forming black radical mind women --- more specifically black women --- had a way of existing without being present." Pg. 26

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"To my newly forming black radical mind women --- more specifically black women --- had a way of existing without being present." Pg. 26

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What this quote is telling me is that from Mychal's point of view he didn't realize the role black women had played for justice. As of today there are many female activists which fight for change without being out there. When Mychal is saying this he had previously only been reading from male authors which had influenced his opinions toward one side only. This changed once he was approached by his professor and was informed to try reading from other authors in order to gain a better aspect of what is being discussed. I agree with this because if you only continue to read something from the same view then you will ultimately end up with a bias view but reading from the other side has personally allowed me to understand things to a deeper sense and know what i'm talking about rather than speaking with a bias view.

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"I didn't even know there was an election happening until the opportunity arose to attend this rally in high school" Pg. 38

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"I didn't even know there was an election happening until the opportunity arose to attend this rally in high school" Pg. 38

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This is an important quote to me because politics aren't really discussed to the younger generation even though they are also affected by politics. I believe that even though the younger generation might not be able to vote their voices should still be heard because we are building the country so that the younger and future generation could live better. In the book its important to notice that he didn't know that there was an election happening until there was an event at his school and I think that politics should be more widespread since everyone in the country is affected not only a specific group.

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"But I wanted to talk about it. And not just talk about it, I wanted to do something about it." Pg.44

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"But I wanted to talk about it. And not just talk about it, I wanted to do something about it." Pg.44

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What this quote is telling me is that Mychal is the type to not be a bystander. After this detail I'm able to infer that Mychal has a similar mindset to that of the activist this is further supported by the fact that he seems to follow many activists such as Malcolm X which he aspires to be like. Throughout the story up until now he seems to idolize Malcolm in way that he wants to be similar to him. He continues to argue that most people of his race know about the injustice they face but they don't seem to talk about. As of right now I see Mychal as a aspiring activist who plans to create change and take action for his race.

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Who is the main character of the book?

Who do Mychal's parents want him to be like?

Do Mychal's professors have an impact in his educational journey?

What did Mychal face while at Hampton university?

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What was Mychal's experience with his mentors like and how has it affected him?

When faced with certain problems do you think Mychal is more of an action taker and why?

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When you see something wrong are you more of a bystander or action taker?

Do you think that the media has an influence on people?

When someone has a larger audience do you think they would want to address issues or protect their "fame"?

If you were to face a roadblock when fighting for change would you still keep fighting?

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Why do you think Mychal is more of a freedom fighter rather than what his parents want him to be?

Why do you think Mychal writes about unusual specific moments such as the one he mentions on June 18, 2006 (pg 79)?

When speaking to his father about his acceptance of chief editor of the script what do you think about Mychal's father?

Do you think Mychal has the courage to keep striving for what he wants despite the criticism and problems he faces?

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"A certain segment of America has no interest in hearing black men talk about their sexual desires, though they certainly project their own ideas about those desires onto us" Pg.71

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"A certain segment of America has no interest in hearing black men talk about their sexual desires, though they certainly project their own ideas about those desires onto us" Pg.71

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I understand this quote because many people say they have no interest in people's sexual desires but many actions are taken which affect those sexual desires. In the real world there has been actions that have been passed which have affected the sexual lives of others for example until Obama's presidency was same sex marriage a legal thing. Many people say they don't involve themselves with other's beliefs but when they see a same gender couple they tend to push what they think is right onto by stating that what they are doing is wrong due to their own beliefs.

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"For such a highly paid, highly visible, perennial All star with numerous high-profile endorsements to even hint at a having a political ideology and race consciousness was meaningful." pg 85 

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"For such a highly paid, highly visible, perennial All star with numerous high-profile endorsements to even hint at a having a political ideology and race consciousness was meaningful." pg 85 

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This quote makes me realize the power fame could play when you decide to fight for change. Many people wouldn't want to risk their fame in order to protest because they think that they will get too controversial or risk losing their fame. In this case Lebron James was able to use his fame in order to protest for the killing of Trayvon Martin. If more celebrities were to use their fame to an advantage of fighting for change today then I think we would be progressing quicker.

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"There will be more Trayvon Martins than Lebron Jameses." Pg. 91

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"There will be more Trayvon Martins than Lebron Jameses." Pg. 91

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The quotation discusses racial disparities in the community. It is stating that young people are more likely to encounter unfair circumstances that like those Trayvon Martin encountered. This quote may help individuals understand how critical it is to address social issues and work toward a more equitable society. Given that more people may wind up like Trayvon Martin than Lebron James, the quote may cause people to consider the reality of inequity. This quote emphasizes the need for action, compassion, and understanding to counteract the endemic nature of prejudice and unequal treatment in our society.

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"In America there was no safety, that by bullet or gavel my life could be taken away" Pg.102

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"In America there was no safety, that by bullet or gavel my life could be taken away" Pg.102

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What this quote is saying is that most African Americans live in fear that their life will be taken away no matter what. When the quote is saying is that either by a bullet which can come from police brutality or either from a racist civilian which can be walking in the street at the same time. When Mychal mentions the gavel in this quote he is speaking about about the injustice that he would face even in a court hence why he says that by either gavel or a bullet he will get his life taken away in this society.

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"To write about Trayvon Martin was not just about expressing sympathy to his family, but dealing with how America created the n****" Pg. 123

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"To write about Trayvon Martin was not just about expressing sympathy to his family, but dealing with how America created the n****" Pg. 123

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This quote has a deep meaning hidden behind it. I say this because when most people speak about a victim of injustice they send condolences but they don't see how they label the victim. This is a huge reason for why many people need to protest because without protests people remain with the label of being a threat to society which seems like a justification to their killing. The white man who killed Trayvon Martin labeled him as an armed black man when he was only walking home listening to music. This shows how your not only expressing sympathy for Trayvon but rather also removing the label he had faced when he was killed.

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"It was black women who claimed the streets as their own and led the marches and protests against police violence." pg. 129

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"It was black women who claimed the streets as their own and led the marches and protests against police violence." pg. 129

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When I read this quote it had opened my eyes to see that when I search up protests I tend to see many women and I believe that they don't receive much recognition even though they fight for the rights of the people they have been oppressed by which are men.

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"We fail to understand black womanhood because we refuse to try" pg. 134

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"We fail to understand black womanhood because we refuse to try" pg. 134

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I can relate to this quote because I myself have not looked into why women tend to do certain things. But I think of myself as an open-minded person so I believe that if i were to look into black womanhood then I'll be able to understand why they act a certain way or why they decide to do certain things.

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"When we learn that a person doesn't fit the default assignation of sexual identity, we have to decide something almost instantly: Are they no longer worthy of my sympathy?" Pg. 137

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"When we learn that a person doesn't fit the default assignation of sexual identity, we have to decide something almost instantly: Are they no longer worthy of my sympathy?" Pg. 137

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I believe this quote can apply to many people in today's society because when people face something they aren't comfortable with they tend to see it as a threat and this is why I believe many people treat the LGBTQ community as if they are afraid to new things.

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"Homophobia is a social lubricant for straight men." Pg.146

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"Homophobia is a social lubricant for straight men." Pg.146

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I myself have experienced this because when I was in middle school people would get offended when they were referred to as gay. Their responses would seem as if being gay was a bad thing and that they would never associate themselves with that. Most people tend to show that they are straight by hating the LGBTQ community.

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"They weren't equal because not only have we turned black gay men into punch lines, we have established them as the ultimate bogeyman." Pg. 151

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"They weren't equal because not only have we turned black gay men into punch lines, we have established them as the ultimate bogeyman." Pg. 151

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Back then people would see Black gay men as the source of STD's which is why I think many of them would face backlash. When Mychal said this i thought of the history Black gay men have faced because of their sexuality but today I would say they are accepted more into society.

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"But there's a particular concern about the acceptance of gay athletes in football and basketball---the sports where black men are the dominant presence." pg.157

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"But there's a particular concern about the acceptance of gay athletes in football and basketball---the sports where black men are the dominant presence." pg.157

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I see this as a problem because I feel like people would be mad with a gay black man being the face of a certain team or title. I think that it seems like an embarrassment for the straight community which then tends to make the gay black men look like enemies towards the straight community. Especially in a male dominant sport people expect a straight man to dominate the sport.

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"The more i lied, the more I wanted to believe the lie, the less I could. Every time I said I was fine, I saw myself dying." Pg.174

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"The more i lied, the more I wanted to believe the lie, the less I could. Every time I said I was fine, I saw myself dying." Pg.174

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I relate to this quote because the more i lie then the more I tended to believe the lies. When people lie often they start to believe everything that is coming out of their mouth and in this sense I believe it is important to know this in order to understand why some people can remain ignorant to certain things and why they will only believe what comes out the mouth of themselves or someone similar to them.

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"You use those words to make sure what happened to Demetri don't have to happen to any other black boys" Pg. 186

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"You use those words to make sure what happened to Demetri don't have to happen to any other black boys" Pg. 186

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This quote seems important to Mychal because he seems like an activist who takes action through his writing which is why someone takes notice into that and tells him to use that writing to make sure that no other black boy can face injustice ever again. This seems like a strong quote because it may have inspired to keep writing in order to fight against the injustice he experiences around him.

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"Obama was the black candidate , even if he didn't want to be." Pg. 55

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"Obama was the black candidate , even if he didn't want to be." Pg. 55

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When reading this statement it opened my mind to the realization that many people become the faces of things even though they don't want to be. People such as presidents are expected to speak on certain cases even though they don't want to. I think that this shows how much power we have as a society because we are able to make people in power speak on certain topics which can then help gain awareness for many things or social issues. In this case Obama is the face of the black community because of the power he holds within the government which allows him the biggest opportunity to create change for African Americans.

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"Listening to loud music. Walking in the street. Running away. Minding their business. Unarmed. Killed." Pg. 61

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"Listening to loud music. Walking in the street. Running away. Minding their business. Unarmed. Killed." Pg. 61

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As I was reading this quote I realized how African Americans are really discriminated and how they can be doing normal everyday things which will be seen as a threat through a racist's point of view. I understand how this put Mychal in fear that his life would be taken away throughout the book because the fact that you could be shot for doing what everyone else could be doing restricts your freedom of what you can really do in the real world.

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"There had to be more to being black than the slavery and KKK I learned about in second grade, or that kid calling me a n*** in sixth grade." p.15

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"There had to be more to being black than the slavery and KKK I learned about in second grade, or that kid calling me a n*** in sixth grade." p.15

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Throughout the quote the author states that there has to be some sort of pro to being black but so far he has only faced cons for being black such as learning about slavery and the KKK only because he was black. The quote is significant since the author throughout the book is speaking about white supremacy, for example he states the time he tried to speak about Malcolm X but the teacher quickly changed the topic of the conversation towards MLK which seemed like a more "peaceful" subject to speak about. When he continued to speak about Malcolm X trying to take down the "White Man" some white girls started to cry in his classroom as if the black people were the enemies. As I continue to read the book the author helps to evaluate certain subjects for example he gives the experience of a black child in school and how his education is affected because of his skin color. His education had been affected for being black and caused him to have to restrict many things he does such as when he was told to stop speaking Ebonics in eleventh grade. As I keep reading I expect to read more about how his education was affected only because he was black.

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Name: Mychal Denzel Smith

X: @mychalsmith

Instagram: @mychaldenzel

DOB: November 6, 1986

Ethnicity/Gender: Black / Male

Profession: TV Commentator, Author

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Grew up with the mindset of an activist

Started taking action in protests during college

His household had attempted to influence him into becoming like someone else

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Hampton university

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Mychal had started to advocate for the minority during his time at Hampton University as chief editor thus he continued his journey by becoming a writer.

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Top 100 African Americans in the root 100 list (2014 & 2016)

2017 NAACP image award nominee

NYT Bestseller

2020 Kirkus Prize for non-fiction

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Stakes is high

With wine, It's always half full

Incremental change is a moral failure

On Blockness, pleasure and the cookout

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"Stakes Is High" author Mychal Denzel Smith argues a Joe Biden presidency might not be enough to bring about the radical progressive change America needs to address its unprecedented crises.

More

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Mychal Denzel Smith - "Stakes Is High" - The Daily Show with Trevor Noah | Comedy Central US

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"Stakes Is High" author Mychal Denzel Smith argues a Joe Biden presidency might not be enough to bring about the radical progressive change America needs to address its unprecedented crises.