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Blake Benson
Mrs. McCallister is Justyce’s mother. A loving parent, she focuses on motivating Justyce to attain upward mobility and works hard throughout her life to make sure he has continued access to a good education. Because of this, she urges him not to dwell on the fact that he feels out of place amongst his insensitive white peers at Braselton Preparatory Academy. Although this advice helps Justyce remember the importance of succeeding in academia, it doesn’t do much to soothe him in an emotional sense, which is partially why he ends up toying with the idea of joining a gang, feeling as if nobody else in his life understands what he’s going through. In addition, Mrs. McCallister is strongly against the idea of Justyce dating a white girl, which is why he avoids telling SJ how he feels for so long.
Mrs. McCallister / Justyce’s Mother Quotes in Dear Martin
The Dear Martin quotes below are all either spoken by Mrs. McCallister / Justyce’s Mother or refer to Mrs. McCallister / Justyce’s Mother. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
August 25
Quotes
I dunno. I’ve seen some pictures of Shemar Carson, and he did have kind of a thuggish appearance. In a way, I guess I thought I didn’t really need to concern myself with this type of thing because compared to him, I don’t come across as “threatening,” you know? I don’t sag my pants or wear my clothes super big. I go to a good school, and have goals and vision and “a great head on my shoulders,” as Mama likes to say.
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September 18
Quotes
“[…] We had this discussion in class today, and…I don’t know, Ma. Everything I’m doing right now feels like a losing battle.”
She nodded. “Hard being a black man, ain’t it?”
I shrugged. “Guess that’s one way to put it. All I know is I can’t seem to find where I fit. Especially at that school.”
“Hmm.”
[…]
She crossed her arms and lifted her chin, and that’s when I knew there’d be no sympathy. “So watchu gon’ do? Run away?”
I sighed. “I don’t know, Mama.”
“You think coming back here will solve your problem?”
“At least I’d be around people who know the struggle.”
She snorted. “Boy, you betta get your behind on up that school.”
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Mrs. McCallister / Justyce’s Mother Quotes in Dear Martin
The Dear Martin quotes below are all either spoken by Mrs. McCallister / Justyce’s Mother or refer to Mrs. McCallister / Justyce’s Mother. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
August 25
Quotes
I dunno. I’ve seen some pictures of Shemar Carson, and he did have kind of a thuggish appearance. In a way, I guess I thought I didn’t really need to concern myself with this type of thing because compared to him, I don’t come across as “threatening,” you know? I don’t sag my pants or wear my clothes super big. I go to a good school, and have goals and vision and “a great head on my shoulders,” as Mama likes to say.
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September 18
Quotes
“[…] We had this discussion in class today, and…I don’t know, Ma. Everything I’m doing right now feels like a losing battle.”
She nodded. “Hard being a black man, ain’t it?”
I shrugged. “Guess that’s one way to put it. All I know is I can’t seem to find where I fit. Especially at that school.”
“Hmm.”
[…]
She crossed her arms and lifted her chin, and that’s when I knew there’d be no sympathy. “So watchu gon’ do? Run away?”
I sighed. “I don’t know, Mama.”
“You think coming back here will solve your problem?”
“At least I’d be around people who know the struggle.”
She snorted. “Boy, you betta get your behind on up that school.”
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