Piecing Me Together

Piecing Me Together

by

Renée Watson

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Piecing Me Together makes teaching easy.
York Symbol Icon

York—the black slave who accompanied Lewis and Clark on their expedition throughout the Western U.S.—is a symbol for Jade’s own experience with navigating the discrimination she faces as person of color. At first, York’s story speaks to how out of place Jade feels at St. Francis, as in the two years she’s been there, none of her history teachers have ever mentioned York. Jade finds out about York from Lee Lee, her best friend who attends the local public high school in their predominately black and low-income neighborhood. As Jade does more research into York’s biography, she draws a number of important parallels that help her identify with York. For instance, York was the only black person on Lewis and Clark’s expedition, and during the expedition, he was allowed to carry a gun and got a vote in matters pertaining to the journey. However, as a black person in the first few years of the 19th century, Jade recognizes that these privileges were symbolic more than anything else—York may have had power briefly during the expedition, as Clark didn’t free York until years after their return east.

Jade sees that at St. Francis, she occupies a similar position: as one of the only black students at school, she’s a curiosity and she doesn’t feel like she can actually speak out or advocate for herself, given her understanding that she’ll be seen as nothing more than black and angry. Similarly, the opportunities she’s awarded (such as a place in the Woman to Woman mentorship program) seem contrived and patronizing rather than genuine—in Jade’s mind, efforts like this are a way for white people to feel good about themselves for helping her, rather than genuinely beneficial experiences for her. Like York’s false sense of temporary freedom, then, Jade remains disempowered in her environment despite the opportunities awarded to her by white authority figures.

York Quotes in Piecing Me Together

The Piecing Me Together quotes below all refer to the symbol of York. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Intersectionality, Identity, and Discrimination Theme Icon
).
Chapter 51 Quotes

When the star-filled sky blanketed him, did he ever think about what his life was like before the expedition? Before he was a slave? How far back could he remember? Did he remember existing in a world where no one thought him strange, thought him a beast?

Did he remember being human?

Related Characters: Jade Butler (speaker), Mom
Related Symbols: York
Page Number: 194
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Piecing Me Together LitChart as a printable PDF.
Piecing Me Together PDF

York Symbol Timeline in Piecing Me Together

The timeline below shows where the symbol York appears in Piecing Me Together. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapters 5 - 6
Intersectionality, Identity, and Discrimination Theme Icon
Mentorship, Opportunity, and Dignity Theme Icon
...he leaves, Lee Lee says she loves her history teacher. She taught them today about York, the black slave who traveled with Lewis and Clark. Jade is shocked that a black... (full context)
Intersectionality, Identity, and Discrimination Theme Icon
The Power of Language Theme Icon
Mentorship, Opportunity, and Dignity Theme Icon
Lee Lee pulls out her worksheet, which has a picture of York, and she tells Jade that both York and Sacagawea helped on the expedition. York was... (full context)
Chapter 7
Intersectionality, Identity, and Discrimination Theme Icon
...sits at the kitchen table wearing headphones, working on a collage. She’s still thinking about York and about all the signs in North Portland that mark Lewis and Clark’s journey. None... (full context)
Chapter 13
Mentorship, Opportunity, and Dignity Theme Icon
Friendship Theme Icon
...Mom first. Jade invites Maxine to her room to see her latest collage: it’s about York and Lewis and Clark. Maxine is impressed. She stays for an hour and they talk... (full context)
Chapter 29
Intersectionality, Identity, and Discrimination Theme Icon
Mentorship, Opportunity, and Dignity Theme Icon
...society, she notices a mural of Lewis and Clark. It includes Sacagawea, her baby, and York. She takes several photos of York’s face. (full context)
Chapter 33
Intersectionality, Identity, and Discrimination Theme Icon
Jade finishes her first collage about York, Lewis, and Clark. She tells Mom that she’s interested in the fact that a black... (full context)
Chapter 51
Mentorship, Opportunity, and Dignity Theme Icon
It’s almost morning, and Jade hasn’t slept. She decides to make another collage about York based off of what Clark wrote in his journals: that many Native Americans were fascinated... (full context)
Chapter 65
Intersectionality, Identity, and Discrimination Theme Icon
The Power of Language Theme Icon
...a series she’s working on about police brutality as well as about her pieces concerning York. Andrew gives Jade a business card and he instructs Jade to email him if she... (full context)
Chapters 67 - 68
Intersectionality, Identity, and Discrimination Theme Icon
Jade shares more of York’s story. Lewis and Clark reached the Pacific Ocean in November of 1805. They returned to... (full context)
Chapter 76
Intersectionality, Identity, and Discrimination Theme Icon
The Power of Language Theme Icon
Jade shares more of York’s story. In 1832, York supposedly returned to St. Louis to be with Clark. According to... (full context)