Black Brother, Black Brother

Donte is escorted out of the school by police, his hands bound in zip ties. His brother, Trey, tries to stop them and asks what Donte did wrong. The police, seeing Trey, ask: “You have a black brother?” (11). Donte looks away from him, thinking that Trey should know he didn’t do anything. He’s put in the police car. Trey corrects himself, saying through the window that he knows Donte didn’t do anything.

As the car drives away, Donte’s bully Alan, who actually threw the pencil, calls Donte “Black brother.” He has long bullied Donte, using “‘black’ like a slur” (13). He is captain of the fencing team and coined Donte’s nickname: “Black brother” (13). Quickly, the whole school seems to sing “Black brother, black brother…black brother, black brother” as Donte is driven away, feeling anything but invisible (15).

Donte is alone in his own cell. Other men stare at him, and he feels ashamed, even though he didn’t do anything. Someone asks what he did, and he politely replies.

He thinks about how different he is from Trey. He wishes that their positions were reversed but also feels like he’s not a good brother. Donte wonders why the police were called on him. He feels a dark cloud above him.

Donte liked living in his former home of New York City. He felt liked, though he worries it was because he is Trey’s brother. He knows that at Middlefield Prep, they don’t like him because he is Black.

Donte’s mother, a lawyer, has him released. She hugs him immediately, and then Donte’s father engulfs them in a larger hug. The police speak mostly to Donte’s father, not smiling at his mother. His dad glares.

Donte’s mother is furious that the school didn’t call them before calling the police. When Donte wonders if she’s going to ask what he did, she replies that nothing he could’ve done deserved him being arrested. She continues to talk: “This is how it starts. Bias. Racism. Plain and simple. Philadelphia, cops called on black men meeting in Starbucks. Portland, cops called on a hotel guest talking on his cell phone with his mother” (24). Donte wishes she would stop. He already knows.

Donte’s dad tells him that he’s proud for how Donte handled the situation. Donte asks what it means that “every day above ground is a good day” (26), a phrase he’d overheard from another inmate about Black men. His dad tries to comfort him but he, a white man, knows that it’s harder for Black men than it is for him. He adds that he loves him.

At Donte’s old school in New York City, there were more students of color. Basketball was the sport of choice, and Trey was the most popular kid. At Middlefield Prep, Alan is the most popular because he is best at fencing. Donte wonders if his experiences are part of growing up, especially now that his parents haven’t been able to protect him. Trying to put on a brave face for his parents, Donte goes to eat dinner, attempting to ignore the dark cloud that’s followed him home.

The case against him is Middlefield College Preparatory School v. Donte Roman Ellison. Donte feels like he is going to lose.

Donte is suspended for a week. While Trey feels like it means that Donte is on vacation, Donte feels trapped. Their father is a computer architect, and their mother works for the Legal Aid Society. They moved to Newton, Massachusetts, because their mom felt like she was needed in Boston. Their suburb is filled with wealthy white people; Donte and Trey are enrolled at Middlefield Prep because their mom believes that education is “the best way to fight prejudice” (31). Donte wonders why schools with students of color are mostly made up of lower income families. He knows it isn’t fair.

Donte leaves the house to go for a walk. He worries that people in the neighborhood are watching him, wondering “Why isn’t he in school. Why’s he here? In our neighborhood?” (33). The neighbors may not have realized that he’s part of the community and that he’s multiracial, with Scotch-Irish, Norwegian, and African heritage.

He feels like he’s still being taunted by classmates calling him “Black brother.” Feeling overwhelmed, thoughts of Alan and being bullied fill his head. A police car appears. Donte lowers the hood of his sweatshirt and worries for a moment. The car speeds off. Donte wonders if they’ll stop another Black boy.

Donte decides to show Alan that “he’s not better than me” (36).

Trey arrives home. He apologizes for not believing that Donte was innocent at first. Donte tells him that’s okay and explains that he wants to get revenge. He wants to humiliate Alan. Both boys know their parents won’t like that.

They eat together and begin to plan. Fencing is all that Alan cares about, and Donte says that he’ll learn fencing. Trey laughs, teasing Donte for not being good at sports. They wrestle, and while Trey appears to win, Donte flips him, making him say “uncle.” Trey isn’t sure that Donte can beat Alan, though, whose family is rich and has been paying for fencing lessons. In fact, the gymnasium is called Alan Davies Family Gymnasium, and Alan is Alan Davies IV. Donte feels hopeless and trapped by the whole world but believes he can beat Alan. He just has to figure out how.

As he walks to his room, Donte spots Trey looking at himself in the mirror. Donte notices how athletic he is and how light his skin is. They both know that Trey’s physicality makes Donte think about how he, Donte, isn’t strong.

Donte pretends to sleep, allowing himself to “pretend there’s no hurt in the outside world” (45). He feels his parents come in to check on him, patting his bed and letting him sleep.

He thinks about how his mom told him about Loving v. Virginia, a 1967 Supreme Court case that finally made interracial marriage legal everywhere. Donte wonders if his parents ever imagined having one white and one Black son.

The next day, Trey wakes him. He says: “Ellison brothers stick together” (48). As they both repeat “Brothers,” Donte feels comforted. Trey gives Donte a magazine article. In it, there’s a photo of an African American man named Arden Jones who fenced with the United States team at the 1976 Olympics. Jones works as the manager of the Boston Boys and Girls Club.

At the bottom of the page, Trey’s handwriting reads “P.S. July—Fencing Team Tryouts” (49). Donte has found a way to beat Alan.

When Trey and their parents leave for the day, Donte waits to be sure that no one is coming back. He decides that he is going to find Arden Jones so that he can make the Middlefield Prep fencing team. 

At the Boys and Girls Club, Donte notices that it’s old and in need of repair. He wonders “why city kids can’t have a rec center better than a hundred middle and high school students at Middlefield Prep” (53).

Eventually, Donte finds Arden Jones. He is initially surprised by his weathered appearance. He doesn’t look like Donte expected, and Donte starts to feel ashamed. Eventually he tells Jones that he wants to learn how to fence. The older man starts to walk away, and Donte follows him.

Jones goes about his day, but Donte doesn’t leave. He thinks about how Jones had been expected to win a medal at the Olympics but didn’t. He wonders why. When the school day ends, kids appear. Twins come over to him, asking who he is. They introduce themselves as Zion and Zarra, and Donte notices that “Zarra’s beautiful. First time I ever thought that about a girl” (59).

Though Mr. Jones doesn’t talk to him that day, Donte returns for three days in a row. The receptionist asks if he wants a membership card. She notices that he doesn’t seem to be from the city, and Donte knows it’s because “[i]t’s obvious I’m rich enough, or rather my parents are, to pay for a gym” (60). The receptionist offers to help him if he needs it, making Donte hopeful that Arden Jones will come around.

Donte helps Mr. Jones as he prepares the gym for the kids. Slowly, Jones starts giving him more tasks. Ten minutes before the students arrive, Donte says: “Teach me to fence” (62). The former Olympian asks why he isn’t in school. Donte asks why Jones doesn’t fence. Mr. Jones responds: “You came to me. You want something from me. If you want it bad enough, you’ll answer my questions” (63). The back-and-forth makes Donte nervous, and his leg bounces as he gets frustrated and upset. Jones tells him to take a deep breath, hold it for three seconds, and then let it out.

The exercise calms him, and he says that he was suspended. Jones asks if Donte hurt anyone or if he’d threatened anything. Donte offers a short explanation. As Jones starts to write him off for going to Middlefield Prep, Donte admits that the headmaster called the police on him. As he flashes back to the prison, he becomes nervous and nauseous. He starts to leave. Jones stops him and asks for his name. Donte responds and asks again for his help. Jones tells him to return at 8 a.m. on Saturday morning. For the first time since being suspended, Donte is happy.