In his post college life he had struggles with drugs and had been convicted many times. Floyd was caught with a gram of cocain but these charges were later dropped due to the police officers lack of credibility. Floyd faced charges for aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon, according to investigators, he entered an apartment with five other men, held a pistol to a woman's stomach, and searched for items to steal. Floyd was arrested three months later during a traffic stop, and victims of the robbery identified him. In 2009, Floyd was sentenced to five years in prison as part of a plea deal and was paroled in January 2013.

Chauvin pleaded guilty in late 2021 to federal charges of violating Floyd's civil rights by using unreasonable force and ignoring Floyd's serious medical needs. In mid-2022, Chauvin was sentenced to 21 years in prison for violating Floyd's civil rights.

"People who think dying is the worst thing don't know a thing about life." (Kidd 6)

While the message does resonate with the overall topic of racial inequalities and violence shown in the book, it connects very deeply to the brutal and horrific practice of lynching. This is due to the fact that in addition to murdering the victim, they are mercilessly tortured beforehand and likely not given proper burials or funerals after their deaths as well.

"We can't think of changing our skin color. Change the world - that's how we gotta think." (Kidd 216)

What Zach is saying is that because people are born the way they are and you can't change that, the only way to beat the problem is to defeat the system of racism that was prevalent at that time. The quote not only shows the grit and determination that Zach has, but the determination that everyone who participated in the civil rights era of 1960s had when taking on such a long and established system of racial intolerance had. #MLK

"At my school they made fun of colored people’s lips and noses. I myself had laughed at these jokes, hoping to fit in. Now I wished I could pen a letter to my school to be read at an opening assembly that would tell them how wrong we’d all been. You should see Zachary Taylor, I’d say." (Kidd 116)

Lily shows not only that she understands what her participation in the jokes meant, but also that she regrets it. At this point in the novel she has changed a large amount from the beginning and recognizes that despite her previous participation of racism, she has changed and that other people can change as well. #MoreThanAJoke

"I wouldn’t be surprised if he all out killed her" - (Kidd 38)

This is in context of after Roselyn got arrested wrongfully by the white police, after she was arrested Lily ran to get help from T-Ray and him knowing the truth behind what normally happens with cops arresting Africans leading to lynching.

https://www.axios.com/2023/04/27/carolyn-bryant-donham-dead-emmett-till-lynching

“Lily, I like you better than any girl I’ve ever known, but you have to understand, there are people who would kill boys like me for even looking at girls like you.” (Kidd 135)

in this quote Zach, a Black teenager, talks about the treatment a kid can receive often with no verdict in the 1960s. Despite their mutual affection, Zach acknowledges the dangerous societal norms that prohibit interracial relationships. This quote highlights the threat of racial violence and the limitations imposed on personal relationships due to systemic racism. #America

"People in general would rather die than forgive. It's that hard." (Kidd 265)

Although the quote does not directly mention race, the overall themes of the book clearly exemplify the meaning to be about race. August is saying that the problem is not only the racial intolerance, but a deeper malaise of resentment and bitterness that infects the general population. #Pain