Dear Martin: Transcript from evening news, January 26 - Chapter 19

by Nic Stone
In Nic Stone's unflinching exploration of racism, high school student Justyce McAllister writes letters to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in order to process the violence and prejudice he encounters in his community.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1-September 18, Chapters 5-
9, January 13-Chapter 14, Transcript from the evening news, January 26-Chapter 19, Chapter 20-Four Months Later
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. transcript
    a written record of dictated or recorded speech
    Transcript from evening news, January 26
    Good evening, and welcome to the Channel 5 News at 5.
  2. mortuary
    a building where bodies are kept before burial or cremation
    That’s how long the Riverses keep Manny’s body in a mortuary cold chamber, waiting for his best friend to recover enough to attend the funeral.
  3. speculation
    a message expressing an opinion based on incomplete evidence
    Based on some of the “speculation” he’s heard—Manny threatened Garrett Tison, one of the boys threw something into Tison’s Suburban, Justyce had a gun, etc.—he’d rather not be seen.
  4. pulpit
    a platform raised to give prominence to the person on it
    As the pastor leaves the pulpit and the choir stands, Justyce looks around the packed interior of the church.
  5. flashback
    an unexpected but vivid recurrence of a past experience
    It triggers a series of flashbacks from his more heavily drugged days in the hospital: SJ standing over him, weeping, his left hand gripped in her right one, her left hand stroking his face (Mama was obviously not around); the sound of Dr. Rivers saying, “We’re so glad you made it, Justyce.”
  6. eulogy
    a formal expression of praise for someone who has died
    As Mr. Rivers approaches the pulpit to deliver the eulogy—he asked Jus if he wanted to do it, but there was no way in hell—Jus sees Jared and the “bros.”
  7. jab
    poke or thrust abruptly
    Jared turns around like he can feel Jus jabbing arrows into the back of his head.
  8. rove
    move about aimlessly or without any destination
    Her eyes—which are red from crying—rove over his face, and he’s so relieved to see something other than pity burning in them, he almost reaches out to hug her with his good arm.
  9. predicament
    an unpleasant or difficult situation
    It’s quite the predicament: wanting to touch and hug and kiss a white girl after a white man shot him and killed his best friend?
  10. flank
    be located at the sides of something or somebody
    Mr. Taylor shouts and points in their direction, and suddenly he and Mama get flanked by what have to be bodyguards.
  11. wince
    draw back, as with fear or pain
    Justyce winces as one of the huge guys—burly, blond, looks like his name could be Lars—bumps his bad arm.
  12. burly
    muscular and heavily built
    Justyce winces as one of the huge guys—burly, blond, looks like his name could be Lars—bumps his bad arm.
  13. felony
    a serious crime, such as murder or arson
    The indictment stands in glaring contrast to the Nevada and Florida cases involving the deaths of Shemar Carson and Tavarrius Jenkins, and two of the charges—aggravated assault and felony murder—have many members of the community in an uproar.
  14. commemorate
    mark by some ceremony or observation
    The Riverses invited Justyce to dinner tonight to “commemorate” Garrett Tison’s indictment, but Jus really isn’t looking forward to being alone with them.
  15. gilt
    a coating of gold or of something that looks like gold
    Jus stares at the gilt edge around his plate.
  16. stead
    the place properly occupied or served by another
    “I have no doubt he’d want you to have it under these circumstances, so we’d be honored if you’d receive it in his stead.”
  17. deem
    judge or regard in a particular way
    Holding kids deemed menaces to society in a place that would be completely normal if not for the twelve-foot barbed-wire-topped fences seems like someone’s bad idea of a joke.
  18. whim
    an odd or fanciful or capricious idea
    “We’ve heard about his grades, SAT scores, and admission to an Ivy League school,” the anchor says, “but a picture speaks a thousand words. This kid grew up in the same neighborhood as the young man accused of murdering Garrett Tison’s partner more or less on a whim.”
  19. pundit
    an expert who publicly gives opinions via mass media
    SJ crosses her arms, and the three of them lean in to hear the “analysis” of some anti-gang violence pundit who appears on a split screen with the anchor.
  20. defamation
    an abusive attack on a person's character or good name
    SJ: This is blatant defamation of character!
  21. domicile
    housing that someone is living in
    You have to put the pieces together, Steven: Garrett Tison and Tommy Castillo respond to a complaint about loud music, there’s a Range Rover parked in the driveway of the offending domicile, and some thug kid pops out of the backseat with a shotgun.
  22. cretin
    a person of subnormal intelligence
    “If that cretin wouldn’t’ve—”
    SJ’s phone rings, and Jus lifts his head.
  23. disillusioned
    freed from false ideas
    I honestly couldn’t tell you. He seemed a little...disillusioned?
  24. disruptive
    characterized by unrest or disorder or insubordination
    "While we respect the gravity of the tragic loss of a child, involvement in publicly disruptive activity is grounds for investigation and potential dismissal. Mr. Rivers has been a tremendous asset at Davidson Wells for well over nineteen years, and while we hate to see him go, we’ve mutually agreed to part ways.”
  25. mutually
    in a shared manner
    "While we respect the gravity of the tragic loss of a child, involvement in publicly disruptive activity is grounds for investigation and potential dismissal. Mr. Rivers has been a tremendous asset at Davidson Wells for well over nineteen years, and while we hate to see him go, we’ve mutually agreed to part ways.”
  26. ultimatum
    a final peremptory demand
    The day the Riverses shared their relocation plans, they also told Jus that Mr. Julian had received an ultimatum.
  27. throttle
    kill by squeezing the throat of so as to cut off the air
    Mama would throttle Jus if she knew where he was going—everybody in the neighborhood knows who Martel is—but frankly, she hasn’t been any help lately either: every time he calls or stops by, she brings up SJ.
  28. segregation
    a social system that provides different facilities for minority groups
    There's no more segregation...isn't that enough for you?
  29. irony
    incongruity between what might be expected and what occurs
    The first thing to cross Jus’s mind as he steps off the bus is the irony of looking for solace in the place he was anxious to get away from.
  30. solace
    comfort offered to one who is disappointed or miserable
    The first thing to cross Jus’s mind as he steps off the bus is the irony of looking for solace in the place he was anxious to get away from.
  31. warily
    in a manner marked by keen caution and watchful prudence
    Even though his heart is about to explode, Jus pulls the door open and enters the house he’s only ever eyed warily due to rumors about all the drugs and guns hidden inside.
  32. hieroglyphic
    a writing system using picture symbols
    He follows a short hallway lined with what appear to be African relics: tribal masks, framed hieroglyphics, and a silhouette painting of Nefertiti—he can tell by the cylindrical headpiece that reminds him of the flat-top haircuts some of the NBA players are trying to bring back.
  33. silhouette
    a filled-in drawing of the outline of an object
    He follows a short hallway lined with what appear to be African relics: tribal masks, framed hieroglyphics, and a silhouette painting of Nefertiti—he can tell by the cylindrical headpiece that reminds him of the flat-top haircuts some of the NBA players are trying to bring back.
  34. paraphernalia
    equipment consisting of miscellaneous articles
    Jus is sure this house could win the world record for largest collection of ancient Egyptian paraphernalia.
  35. dashiki
    a loose and brightly colored African shirt
    His gaze roams the space until it lands on a youngish, bearded black man in a dashiki shirt and kufi hat.
  36. morph
    change shape or undergo a transformation
    The silence is beginning to morph into something straight-up menacing.
  37. denigrate
    attack the good name and reputation of someone
    “You’ll learn, young brotha. You’ll learn. The Europeans succeeded in denigrating and enslaving peoples of African descent, but there’s royal blood flowing through your veins, you hear me?”
  38. diaspora
    the dispersion of something that was originally localized
    People across the diaspora have been treated as inferior for so long, most of us have habituated to the lie of white superiority.
  39. habituate
    familiarize psychologically or physically
    People across the diaspora have been treated as inferior for so long, most of us have habituated to the lie of white superiority.
  40. semblance
    the outward or apparent appearance or form of something
    "...But never forget,” Martel goes on, “your ancestors survived a transatlantic journey, built this nation from the ground up, and maintained a semblance of humanity, even when the very conditions of their existence suggested they were less than human."
  41. disarming
    capable of allaying hostility
    Quan said Jus would be welcomed, and that’s exactly how he feels. The disarming effect gives him vertigo.
  42. vertigo
    a reeling sensation; a feeling that you are about to fall
    Quan said Jus would be welcomed, and that’s exactly how he feels. The disarming effect gives him vertigo.
  43. intently
    with strained or eager attention
    Martel listens intently, stroking his beard, lowering his eyes when Jus gets to Manny’s death, narrowing them when he hears about Mr. Julian’s job.
  44. sprawl
    sit or lie with one's limbs spread out
    By the time Jus finishes getting it all out, he’s sprawled on his back across the giant ankh at the center of Martel’s Egyptian rug.
  45. esophagus
    the passage between the pharynx and the stomach
    He coughs as what feels like the flames of hell run down his esophagus through his chest and into his stomach.
Created on Mon Dec 04 10:42:20 EST 2017 (updated Tue Feb 27 12:53:59 EST 2018)

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