Twelve-year-old student Jordan Banks is an avid cartoonist who wants to go to art school but feels like he has no control over his life. His mother, Ellice, enrolls him into the prestigious Riverdale Academy Day School, even though she doesn’t really know what a lot of the features are. His father, Chuck, supports Jordan’s art and worries about the school’s lack of “you know… diversity” (3). As they wait for Jordan’s ride to arrive at their apartment in New York City’s Washington Heights neighborhood, Ellice takes Jordan’s photo while Chuck stresses the importance of standing up for oneself and a firm handshake. A large Hummer arrives at Jordan’s doorstop to pick him up; Jordan finds his school guide, Liam, sleeping inside. As they leave, Jordan hides his face from his neighborhood friends so that they won’t see him in a fancy vehicle.

The car drives through the Inwood and Kingsbridge neighborhoods to reach RAD. Jordan is amazed at its size and the students’ habit of wearing pink salmon clothing, while Liam downplays his family’s influence at the school. At first, the only African Americans he sees are the chauffeurs dropping off children. Later, he sees Maury, a Black student from a rich family, suffer abuse from other students who