Content Warning: This section of the guide contains descriptions of racism.

On Monday, Hailey’s older brother Remy organizes a protest at school. Although they protest Khalil’s death, the real reason for the demonstration is to get out of class. This infuriates Starr because “they’re so damn excited about getting a day off. Khalil’s in a grave. He can’t get a day off from that shit. I live it every single day too” (183).

Five minutes into the first class, the kids start to chant, “Justice for Khalil” and walk out of the classroom. Hailey and Maya go with them, but Starr doesn’t move. Guessing that she knew Khalil, Chris doesn’t leave either. She doesn’t tell him that she was a witness and asks the teacher to continue with the lesson to distract her.

Throughout the day, most of the classes are empty except for Starr, Chris, and sometimes another person or two. Many of them apologize to Starr for the protest, making her feel like they think “I’m the official representative of the black race and they owe me an explanation. I think I understand, though. If I sit out a protest, I’m making a statement, but if they sit out a protest, they look racist” (186).