the watsons

In Flint, the Watsons are not particularly affected by racism or prejudice, but once they go south to visit Birmingham, it becomes another story. Daniel and Wilona often talk about the way the South segregates blacks, but prejudice does not seem real for Kenny and his siblings until they go to Birmingham and experience racism for themselves. After Kenny is exposed to this horrible truth of life, he is deeply affected; he is forever changed after witnessing the church bombing, because for the first time he realizes how someone's skin color, a characteristic that is completely beyond individual control, can elicit so much hate in the hearts of others. There is never a resolution to Kenny's stress.