Jessie faced a lot of racism and sexism in her life. How did she combat both throughout the novel? Do you think her attitude to racism and sexism changed over the course of the book?
Jesse was definitely aware of the racism and sexism she faced. To combat that she always put her best foot forward in terms of how she expressed herself, always reminding people of her educational background. Occasionally she would ask Dubois if he would make certain statements to her if she was a man. Sometimes she reminded her mother of that as well. Jessie was well-read and researched topics she wasn’t familiar with to help in her work. She never backed away from an opportunity because of her gender and race.