They were here in Lenapehoking, aka New York City, getting robbed. They were getting gangstered by the so-called settlers.
You miss that whole history lesson?
~ Holly glared at him. No, I didn't miss that whole history lesson,
she said, mocking him
22 Then how you going to be trying to erase them? You're doing the same thing the people who took E's dad are doing.
Up here trying to erase people.
23. No I'm not! Holly yelled. We got quiet. Amari looked around the cafeteria. People were staring at us. One of the eighth-graders who had necked Ashton gave us the finger, and Tiago, Amari and Ashton jumped out of their seats and lurched toward him. But the boy put up his hands in an all's-cool way and they sat back down.
Ashton's neck was back to its pale skinny self. There was something both heartbreaking and awesome about that big boy being scared of some fifth/sixth grade special kids.
what does Amari mean when he talks about erasure (erasing people)?
• It is important not to discredit anyone.
• He is referencing the history lesson on the Lenape People: it is important not to erase anyone from lived history (like Esteban).
• It is important to not create division.
• It is important to value everyone in lived history (like the six of them)