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Howard is a young black lawyer who is hired in Kennedy's office. Kennedy goes out of her way to be nice to him when Ed spouts off that Howard was a diversity hire, but realizes she misjudged Howard when she learns that he's from a wealthy town. Not long before jury selection, Kennedy asks to have Howard join her on the case. Though Howard is enthusiastic about the fieldwork she asks him to do to learn about potential jurors, he's unable to do as much sleuthing as she'd like because he's afraid that someone will call the cops on him. He instead takes over the online research, using Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter to find out how potential jurors feel about racism, law enforcement, and white supremacy. Howard is vocal that Kennedy should use one of her strikes against juror number 12. During the trial, Howard mostly helps protect Ruth from the press. He's awestruck when Kennedy brings up race in her questioning and seems beside himself after her closing arguments.
Howard Quotes in Small Great Things
The Small Great Things quotes below are all either spoken by Howard or refer to Howard. 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:
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Chapter 24, Kennedy Quotes
"You think you're a respected member of a community—the hospital where you work, the town where you live. I had a wonderful job. I had colleagues who were friends. I lived in a home I was proud of. But it was just an optical illusion. I was never a member of any of those communities. I was tolerated, but not welcomed. I was, and will always be, different from them."
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During Ruth's testimony, she points out that because of the color of her skin, she wasn't actually an accepted or valued part of her community. Though Ruth says this softly and without anger, it has the effect on the jury that Kennedy said it would: it makes them uncomfortable and destroys any chance that Ruth had of going free. With this, the novel suggests that people like Ruth who actually experience this kind of institutional racism are, unfortunately, the last people who will be listened to if they talk about it. Because the jury wants to believe that the world Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam conseq
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Howard Character Timeline in Small Great Things
The timeline below shows where the character Howard appears in Small Great Things. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 8, Kennedy
...to work, her colleague Ed Gourakis is going on at length about the new hire, Howard. Kennedy hasn't met him yet and tells Ed this. Ed says that he was just...
(full context)
Chapter 18, Kennedy
...black person in making good choices, Kennedy approaches Harry and asks if she can steal Howard. Harry doesn't care. As Kennedy leads Howard out, she learns that he's only 24 and...
(full context)
...to switch in a few hours, and says jury selection starts in two days. As Howard and Kennedy drive back to the office, she explains that they need to become detectives...
(full context)
Late that night, Kennedy and Howard have spread out over her home office. Howard spent the afternoon doing internet research while...
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...to make pleasant small talk, but Odette refuses the olive branch. As she walks away, Howard rushes in to tell Kennedy about a study about racial prejudice. He explains that it...
(full context)
...the courthouse for jury selection. Ruth looks professional but very nervous. Kennedy introduces her to Howard and then they sit at the defense table together. Judge Thunder addresses the potential jurors...
(full context)
...tells Kennedy that she's not biased and she doesn't have a problem with black people. Howard gives Kennedy his signal, so Kennedy fakes a coughing fit. Howard takes over questioning, which...
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...jurors. Odette doesn't want to allow Kennedy to excuse juror number 12, so Kennedy and Howard huddle to discuss. Howard wants her to use a strike, but Kennedy decides to accept...
(full context)
Chapter 24, Kennedy
...to acquit Ruth and throw out the case. She skips into the conference room with Howard and Ruth and shares the good news. She says that tomorrow, the defense will rest...
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...that Kennedy has to put Ruth on the stand if Ruth insists, so Kennedy sends Howard out. She tells Ruth that they'll jeopardize their lead if she testifies, but Ruth admits...
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...snaps: she says that she thought Davis was better off dead than raised by Turk. Howard shouts his objection and Edison runs out of the room.
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Chapter 27, Ruth
Once Judge Thunder and the jury leave, Howard jumps up in awe of Kennedy's statement. Kennedy soberly says she shot herself in the...
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Kennedy, Howard, and Ruth leave the courtroom and try to push through the press outside. Ruth sees...
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Chapter 29, Kennedy
...office to explain that the jury is hung, eleven to one. When Kennedy speaks to Howard after the meeting, they both know that juror number 12 is the one who won't...
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Chapter 30, Ruth
...has changed. She texts Edison, calls Adisa, and gets a text from Christina. Kennedy and Howard assure Ruth that it's over, and Kennedy invites Ruth out for lunch. Ruth feels like...
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