Black History

Book Review: “Dear Justyce”

Published

4 years ago

November 25, 2020

Kiki

Your birthday card had a Black History postage stamp on it.

As always, it was from Grandma and though it’s kind of corny, you look forward to it ever year: a blue or red envelope outside, a sentimental saying with a few bucks tucked inside. Other than bills, ballots, and ads, she’s the only person you know who snail-mails anything, but in “Dear Justyce” by Nic Stone, help can be delivered, too.

The first time Vernell LaQuan Banks ran away, he was nine years old.

His mother’s new man had been beating her again and though Quan hated leaving his little brother and sister there, he knew it was safer for them if he left the house. And so he went to the park, where he met Justyce McAllister, who was also taking an after-dark break from home.

They kinda knew one another; they lived a block apart in Southwest Atlanta and as it turned out, Justyce’s best friend was Quan’s cousin but that was it. See, Justyce kept clean, stayed in school, studied hard, and went to some fancy white college after graduation, while Quan was arrested the first time at age thirteen for stealing a deck of cards from a convenience store. The second time was for possession of a firearm. His third arrest got him labeled as a “career criminal” and three months in youth detention. By then, his mother had stopped caring what happened to him.

And so Quan found his own family. He joined the Black Jihads, led by a man named Martel who ruled his “men.” Suddenly, there was someone who cared where Quan was and that he had something to eat. The Black Jihad took care of their own.

And in return, Quan took care of them when something happened, quick-quick-quick.

Once, Justyce had visited Quan in prison and Quan never forgot it. On his darkest days, he thought of Justyce and how their lives were so different. And so he took out a piece of paper and took a chance at friendship…

Argue this: sometimes, is a choice really a choice? Or is it like a narrow alley with one way out, and somebody’s pushing from behind? That’s one of the hard questions inside “Dear Justyce.”

Really, the entire first part of this book is hard, starting with author Nic Stone’s note to her readers, explaining how this book came to be. It sets you up for what’s about to happen in the story, though it can’t prepare you enough. Not to be a spoiler, but Quan’s letters to Justyce are a gut-punch and what’s toughest to take is that teens – particularly boys, particularly Black boys – may recognize the raw authenticity of every page of it.

The second half, though, is more fictional, with a Hollywood-worthy courtroom drama that’s a little predictable but that’ll nonetheless please an adult as much as it will a 14-to-17-year-old. So hand this book to your teen, and be sure to sneak it back for yourself. “Dear Justyce” deserves both your stamps of approval.

“Dear Justyce” by Nic Stone

c.2020, Crown $18.99 / $24.99 Canada 267 pages

Kiki

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Oakland Post: Week of May 7 – 13, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 7 – 13, 2025

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2 days ago

May 9, 2025

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Oakland Post: Week of April 30 – May 6, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 30 – May 6, 2025

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Four Bills Focus on Financial Compensation for Descendants of Enslaved People

This week, CBM examines four more bills in the package — each offering ways for Black Californians to receive restitution for past injustices — from housing assistance and reclamation of loss property to fairer pay and the establishment of a state agency charged with determining eligibility for reparations.

Published

2 weeks ago

April 28, 2025

Oakland Post

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Edward Henderson
California Black Media

Last week, California Black Media (CBM) provided an update on four bills in the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) 2025 Road to Repair package.

The 16 bills in the Black Caucus’s 2025 “Road to Repair” package focus on “repairing the generational harms caused by the cruel treatment of African American slaves in the United States and decades of systemic deprivation and injustice inflicted upon Black Californians,” said the CLBC in a release.

This week, CBM examines four more bills in the package — each offering ways for Black Californians to receive restitution for past injustices — from housing assistance and reclamation of lost property to fairer pay and the establishment of a state agency charged with determining eligibility for reparations.

Here are summaries of these bills, information about their authors, and updates on how far each one has advanced in the legislative process.

Assembly Bill (AB) 57

AB 57, introduced by Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (D-Inglewood), would require that at least 10% of the monies in the state’s home purchase assistance fund be made available to applicants who meet the requirements for a loan under the home purchase assistance program and are descendants of formerly enslaved people.

The Assembly Judiciary Committee is currently reviewing the legislation.

Assembly Bill (AB) 62

AB 62, also introduced by McKinnor, would require the Office of Legal Affairs to review, investigate, and make specific determinations regarding applications from people who claim they are the dispossessed owners of property seized from them because of racially motivated eminent domain. The bill would define “racially motivated eminent domain” to mean when the state acquires private property for public use and does not provide just compensation to the owner, due in whole or in part, to the owner’s race.

AB 62 is currently under review in the Judiciary Committee.

Senate Bill (SB) 464

SB 464, introduced by Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D-Los Angeles), aims to strengthen the existing civil rights laws in California concerning employer pay data reporting. The bill mandates that private employers with 100 or more employees submit annual pay data reports to the Civil Rights Department. These reports must include detailed demographic information — including race, ethnicity, sex, and sexual orientation — pertaining to their workforce distribution and compensation across different job categories. Furthermore, beginning in 2027, public employers will also be required to comply with these reporting requirements.

The Senate Committee on Labor, Public Employment, and Rules is currently reviewing SB 464. A hearing is expected to be held on April 23.

Senate Bill (SB) 518

SB 518, introduced by Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson (D-San Diego), establishes the Bureau for Descendants of American Slavery to address and remedy the lasting harms of slavery and the Jim Crow laws suffered by Black Californians.

SB 518 is under review in the Senate Judiciary Committee. A hearing is expected to be held on April 22.