HBCU
Historically Black Colleges and Universities, such as Morehouse College, where Roy and Andre attended.
Gullah
a language and culture of African Americans in the Lowcountry region of South Carolina and Georgia.
The New Jim Crow
A term popularized by author Michelle Alexander to describe the systemic racism and mass incarceration of Black Americans.
Skirmish
Quarrel
Mogul
Someone with power or authority
Pedigree
Ancestry
Chiggers
Small parasitic mites
13th Amendment
An amendment to the US Constitution that abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime.
Mass incarceration
The phenomenon of a disproportionate number of Black Americans being incarcerated in the US.
Baling
In terms of hay, making them into bundles
Redlining
A practice of denying services or refusing to lend money to people in certain neighborhoods, typically because they are Black or people of color.
White flight
The movement of white people from urban areas to the suburbs, often fueled by racism and a desire to avoid living in diverse communities.
Respectability politics
The idea that Black Americans must behave in a certain way and adopt certain values in order to be seen as respectable and gain acceptance in mainstream society.
The Talk
A conversation that Black parents have with their children about how to behave and interact with police officers in order to avoid being unfairly targeted or harmed.
Black Lives Matter
A social movement and political organization that advocates against violence and systemic racism towards Black people.
Double consciousness
A concept coined by W.E.B. Du Bois to describe the experience of being Black in America, characterized by a sense of "two-ness" or "dual consciousness" that arises from the tension between one's own identity and the expectations and perceptions of the dominant white culture.
Jim Crow laws
State and local laws in the United States that enforced racial segregation and discrimination against Black people from the late 1800s to the mid-1960s.
PTSD
Post-traumatic stress disorder, a mental health condition that can develop after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event.
Biracial/multiracial
Referring to individuals with parents of different racial backgrounds.
Code-switching
The practice of adapting one's communication style, including language, tone, and nonverbal behavior, to fit different social and cultural contexts.
