Black Brother, Black Brother

Trey Ellison is Donte’s light-skinned brother. Like Donte, Trey is biracial. However, Trey is light-skinned, and many assume that he is white. Trey has long been one of the popular kids at school, especially given that he is a talented basketball player. However, this does not mean that he is unaware of the racism that his brother Donte experiences. He works hard to do what he can for Donte, and often feels ashamed or guilty when he doesn’t encounter the same racism that Donte and their teammates at the Boys and Girls Club do.

Brotherhood is a strong theme in the novel. Trey shows his support by sharing a magazine article about Arden Jones, telling his brother that “Ellison brothers stick together” (48). They repeat this mantra throughout, and Donte feels connected to his brother. When Jones first invites Trey to join Donte in learning fencing, Trey turns him down, knowing that it’s important that Donte have something that is his alone. Donte appreciates that his brother knows this and shows his own generosity by accepting Trey into the Boys and Girls Club team.

Arden Jones, who Donte calls “Coach” once he begins fencing, is critical for Donte’s development. At first, he is reticent to teach Donte because of the racism he endured as a fencer. However, he sees Donte’s persistence in wanting to learn the sport. He ultimately concedes, especially after learning of the racism and trauma that Donte has experienced at the hands of his school bully and teachers.

Jones can relate to Donte’s experience with racism. We learn this when Jones reveals that he was bullied on the 1976 USA Olympic team for being Black. Jones is a foil for Donte, or a character that illuminates another character through contrasting qualities. Jones ended up throwing a bout so he would no longer have to deal with his bully and quit fencing. In contrast, Donte will not give up. He will defeat his own bully.

Quitting fencing led Jones to feel lasting shame, a sense of dishonor in not giving the match his best, especially because he values the honor in fencing so much. Training Donte has helped him to find peace and forgive himself. It means a great deal to Donte that Coach feels like he also learned from Donte.

Jones pushes his students to feel a sense of pride when they go to fencing tournaments, especially since they are often the only fencers of color in the room. He helps him realize that they belong there as much as any other person. Through Jones, Parker Rhodes show how supportive mentor figures can help heal the trauma of racism and instill confidence.

Alan is the novel’s primary antagonist. He coined the phrase “Black brother, black brother,” the racist epithet that gives the novel its title. He is unafraid to discriminate against and bully Donte. He also doesn’t understand that Trey is Black, even though Trey’s skin is light. Alan experiences a change in circumstances when Donte defeats him at fencing. However, he is a flat character who doesn’t change internally and remains racist. Coach’s former Olympic teammate foreshadows what Alan might become like when he grows up.

Zarra is Donte and Trey’s teammate on the Boys and Girls Club fencing team. Her character illustrates the dual bigotry experienced by women of color—misogyny and racism. Zarra also illustrates the power of resilience. Even though she experiences racism at the team’s first fencing tournament, she returns with a vengeance, advancing to the semifinals. She researches other fencers of color, emphasizing that she and her teammates belong in fencing just as much as everyone else.

Denise Ellison is Donte and Trey’s mother. She is a lawyer who works for the Legal Aid Society in Boston. Denise is a fierce advocate for Donte; we see this in her desire to file a class action civil suit for students of color who are disproportionately punished in schools.

As a Black woman, Denise experiences her own specific set of prejudices. Denise enjoyed hopscotch because she imagined that the coin she picked up at the end were her dreams. She has worked hard to get where she is, but she still experiences racism every day. Donte notices this at the police station when the officer speaks first to his father, thinking: “Weird. Mom’s the lawyer. Yet, for the police, it was Dad who seemed to matter the most” (22). The judge in Donte’s hearing is surprised to learn that she is an attorney and that Donte can afford to attend a wealthy private school like Middlefield without a scholarship, revealing the stereotype he holds about Black families not being wealthy. Denise persists, working tirelessly to protect and support Donte as he embarks on his fencing dreams. She is a flat character who doesn’t change throughout the novel, remaining strong and protective throughout.