All You Have to Do: Chapters 6–8

by Autumn Allen
In alternating narratives set in the 1960s and 1995 in New York and Massachusetts, the teenage son and grandson of Dr. Wilson, Kevin and Gibran, continue to struggle against racism by protesting at their schools and supporting the marches on Washington, D.C.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–2, Chapters 3–5, Chapters 6–8, Chapters 9–14, Chapters 15–25
40 words 3 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. impromptu
    with little or no preparation or forethought
    In daily strategic meetings and impromptu gatherings, we brainstorm effective responses to Dr. King’s assassination.
  2. provost
    a high-ranking university administrator
    After five days, the university holds a memorial service. We decide almost unanimously not to go. The thought of it makes us sick. Watching President Kirk and the trustees and the provost and whoever else speak of their sadness over King’s death while they ignore Black leaders, Black history, and Black cultures in the curriculum?
  3. stoic
    seeming unaffected by pleasure or pain; impassive
    I lose myself in the line drawings, first with pencil, then with thick black marker, outlining their noble features, stoic expressions, and formal outfits.
  4. dashiki
    a loose and brightly colored African shirt
    A brother wearing a dashiki gives a lesson about self-determination.
  5. heckle
    challenge aggressively
    “A few heckled him, told him to shut up. Most were shocked and silent.”
  6. intrigue
    cause to be interested or curious
    Claudius looks intrigued but skeptical. “You think he’s really committed? Or is this a phase?”
  7. palpable
    capable of being perceived
    The tension in the City is less palpable than it was a week ago, though the outrage and energy are still in the air.
  8. fester
    gnaw into; make resentful or angry
    I think parents know it’s better to direct that energy than to let it fester.
  9. relish
    derive or receive pleasure from
    When we were younger, Robbie relished being a know-it-all.
  10. picket
    take part in a strike or protest
    We would hold little fundraisers for the NAACP or picket at the Woolworth’s in downtown Albany to support the young people integrating Woolworth’s lunch counters down South.
  11. snide
    expressive of contempt
    Robbie always had a smirk and something snide to say about how begging with the white man for a scrap of respect did nothing but get Black folks busted in the head.
  12. charter
    engage for service under a term of contract
    She found out there were seats available on the chartered bus from Albany, and she pleaded and argued until Mom and Dad gave in and bought four tickets.
  13. flank
    be located at the sides of something or somebody
    Mom and Dad flanked us and steered us onto the grass around the Washington Monument, where volunteers handed out signs, flags, and programs with maps on the back.
  14. invoke
    summon into action or bring into existence
    He invoked the hundreds and thousands of brothers who could not be there with us.
  15. farce
    an event or situation that is absurd, empty, or insincere
    “The biggest march in history,” Robbie said. He glanced at his parents and lowered his voice. “More like the biggest farce.”
    I shrank in my seat.
    He patted my knee. “I’m sorry. I know you’re proud of yourselves. But this whole thing”—he waved dismissively at the television—“this was all a part of the man’s plan. You know that, right?”
  16. indifference
    the trait of lacking enthusiasm for or interest in things
    She changes the subject, and I hope it’s out of mercy and not indifference.
  17. stringent
    demanding strict attention to rules and procedures
    However, as you know, there are fairly stringent rules about missing classes.
  18. sanction
    give authority or permission to
    I’m afraid this event does not meet the school’s standard of a holiday or a cause the school can endorse by sanctioning time off to honor it.
  19. contempt
    lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
    The voice carries aggression and contempt, and that’s how I know, without looking, that it’s directed at me.
  20. delinquent
    a young offender
    I have never heard a white person addressed this way: with this mixture of spite and glee, disguised as disappointment, when an adult finds me behaving like the delinquent they expect me to be.
  21. vain
    having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
    I had already learned that you couldn’t be light-skinned and vain, or you were a pretty boy.
  22. alienate
    make withdrawn or isolated or emotionally dissociated
    I hope the war is over by then. My dad could probably get a colleague to declare me psychologically unfit. But using that kind of privilege only alienates me more from the majority.
  23. dissent
    a difference of opinion
    The university controls how students express their dissent. We stand together to say that our opinions count. We stand together to make the university listen to us.
  24. fringe
    a social group holding marginal or extreme views
    He was concerned about their reputation as an extreme, borderline fringe group.
  25. fray
    a noisy fight
    The chanting fades into sounds of scuffling feet. Two blue hats and gleaming badges on uniforms have entered the fray.
  26. extrajudicial
    occurring outside of legal proceedings
    We’ve spent our lives watching police side with violent racists, allow vigilante “justice,” and enact extrajudicial violence themselves.
  27. sober
    become or cause to become more serious
    Three Black college students murdered by police. It sobered us back in February. It might have kept some of us away from protesting, thinking we had to stay out of harm’s way.
  28. funk
    an earthy type of jazz combining it with blues and soul
    Above the many animated conversations filling the air, the band starts to play funk.
  29. jostle
    come into rough contact with while moving
    Someone jostles me on their way toward a window.
  30. dismay
    fear resulting from the awareness of danger
    Dean Coleman takes in the crowd with dismay.
  31. reprisal
    a retaliatory action against an enemy
    All disciplinary probation against the six students originally charged must be lifted with no reprisals.
  32. repatriation
    the act of returning to one's country of origin
    Beneath the portraits, another sign read, REPATRIATION HEADQUARTERS—BACK TO AFRICA MOVEMENT—RECRUITING.
  33. introspective
    given to examining own sensory and perceptual experiences
    He was introspective, almost shy.
  34. noble
    having high or elevated character
    He was a professor and a preacher. He was noble and saintly and then harsh and analytical too.
  35. rapt
    feeling great delight and interest
    Everyone was still, rapt in the grip of his voice. Not one person left while he spoke. I can only imagine it’s what hypnotism feels like.
  36. objectivity
    judgment based on observable phenomena
    In person, among us, that objectivity that sometimes made him appear cold on television was replaced by warmth, affection, love.
  37. indictment
    an accusation of wrongdoing
    When the newspapers had called the march a picnic-like atmosphere, it had sounded endearing. When Malcolm said the same, it was an indictment. His analysis made me feel it had been all wrong.
  38. indignant
    angered at something unjust or wrong
    Robbie had been repeating Malcolm’s words, then. When Robbie said it, I felt defensive and resentful. Now I felt indignant. I wanted to do something about it.
  39. liberal
    a person who favors a philosophy of progress and reform
    The Black anger was diluted, tempered with the cool, detached goodwill of white liberals.
  40. reproach
    a mild rebuke or criticism
    This is not how we behave at sit-ins. Our behavior is supposed to be beyond reproach.
Created on Wed Aug 07 10:35:46 EDT 2024 (updated Tue Jan 21 12:11:55 EST 2025)

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