The Hate Race: Chapter 7 Summary & Analysis

Maxine is raised in an atheist family; although her parents occasionally attend church on Christian holidays, the only time she has been in a church is when she and Cleopatra take shelter from a sudden rainstorm. However, Maxine still prays to God every night for the thing she wants more than anything: to become white. One day, she believes her wish has come true. In the bathroom, her parents examine her and spot a patch of pale skin on her cheek. Maxine takes a bath and fantasizes about how she’ll eventually become completely white. However, she also feels guilty at the prospect of leaving her family behind when she escapes the specter of racism. She is not happy because she dislikes being Black; she just wants to be more like everyone else she knows, and they’re majority white.

Cleopatra takes Maxine to a dermatologist, which frustrates Maxine, as she feels her mother is trying to take her whiteness away from her. The dermatologist cannot currently do anything except watch how things progress, which upsets Cleopatra and pleases Maxine. That night, Maxine overhears her parents worriedly talking about her and looking at photos that they seem to find distressing. After they go to bed, Maxine sneaks out and looks at the pamphlet, which is about vitiligo. Maxine looks at the pamphlet’s photos, which are of people whose skin is marbled pink and brown. Maxine takes this as confirmation that, like them, she will gradually become completely white. She returns to bed overjoyed.