Sarah Jane has white skin but was born to a black Mother, a fact she tries to hide from everyone, especially at school where she’s trying to pass as a white person, like all the other students in attendance. Her identity as a ‘person of colour’, to quote her teacher, is revealed to all when her mother comes to school to bring her something she’d forgotten to bring from home. Hiding behind a large book, hoping that her mother won’t see her, she is spotted and then flees the classroom, running out into the snowy, Christmassy street.
In a second instance Sarah Jane and her Mother go to an apartment where they are made welcome by Lola, who is trying to become an actress and her daughter Susie, who is the same age as Sarah Jane. Despite the kindness that is offered up in this scene, the shame turns in to anger and self-hatred. This shameful scene provides a turning point in the relationship between the four characters and sets in motion that fate that awaits them all.
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Sarah Jane has white skin but was born to a black Mother, a fact she tries to hide from everyone, especially at school where she’s trying to pass as a white person, like all the other students in attendance. Her identity as a ‘person of colour’, to quote her teacher, is revealed to all when her mother comes to school to bring her something she’d forgotten to bring from home. Hiding behind a large book, hoping that her mother won’t see her, she is spotted and then flees the classroom, running out into the snowy, Christmassy street.
In a second instance Sarah Jane and her Mother go to an apartment where they are made welcome by Lola, who is trying to become an actress and her daughter Susie, who is the same age as Sarah Jane. Despite the kindness that is offered up in this scene, the shame turns in to anger and self-hatred. This shameful scene provides a turning point in the relationship between the four characters and sets in motion that fate that awaits them all.