Lotus Bloom and the Afro Revolution

Lotus tells her mother about the letter at dinner. She is hoping that her mom will defend her, but instead she gets angry at Lotus. She scolds her for causing trouble at school and insists that she has always wanted Lotus to change her hair. Disappointed and angry, Lotus tries to eat, then decides to go up to her room. On the way out, she notices Derrick looking disappointed at her mother, and she briefly wonders if Derrick supports her.

In her room, Lotus texts Rebel but doesn’t get an answer. She turns on the television and sees the local news reporting on the board meeting at MacArthur. The reporter interviews Rebel, who stresses the need for change in Miami schools. Lotus feels disappointment in herself, wondering if she’s “spent a lifetime not paying attention” (145).

Rebel calls back that night and apologizes for not answering sooner. Lotus tries to tell her what’s wrong but stops when she is overwhelmed by the need to vomit. When she comes back to the phone, Rebel knows something is wrong and pressures Lotus into telling her. Lotus tells her the entire story about Adolpho. When Rebel reacts with anger, insisting that Lotus needs to fight back, Lotus becomes overwhelmed by her fervor. Rebel tells her, at the very least, to tell her father.

Lotus stays up for the rest of the night, unable to sleep. At four in the morning, she calls her dad. Her dad listens to her entire story, then pauses so long that Lotus wonders if he is still there. He tells her that her music career is extremely important and that she needs to consider what the school is telling her. He tells her that she does not need to get rid of her hair, but that deciding not to change—and standing her ground—could have “consequences,” so she should make sure she’s prepared to live with them. He suggests she tries braids.

After Lotus hangs up with her father, she spends the rest of the night awake. She thinks of how her dad wants her to “compromise,” and she isn’t sure if she can do that. She also considers how her mother—who doesn’t really care about her music career—is the one who has raised her and helps her day-to-day, while her father is off in Paris alone.

When her mother comes into her room in the morning, Lotus apologizes for causing trouble at school. She begs her mother to let her stay home from school, promising to think about her hair and do what she can to fix it. Her mother assures her that she is there to support Lotus—no matter what—and agrees to let her stay home.

After her mother is gone, Lotus decides that she can change her hair. She decides it’s the best way of “getting along with everyone and still getting what [she] want[s] most” (156).

When Lotus’s mom gets home from work, they work on Lotus’s hair. They decide to have it braided the next day. At lunch afterward, Lotus is shocked when Derrick tells her that he doesn’t think she should have changed it. However, her mother immediately starts bickering with him about it.

Later, Rebel unexpectedly stops by. She immediately starts berating Lotus, insulting her for not being able to stand up for herself. She tells her that an attorney told her that they may have a case to fight against MacArthur. She was going to invite Lotus to join them at the next meeting, but she angrily leaves instead, telling Lotus that she has to fight for herself before she can fight for anything else.

At school on Monday, all of Lotus’s classmates are shocked by her hair. They all make comments about it, but she does her best to pretend that it doesn’t bother her. She insists that she is just trying out a new style.

Maestro asks Lotus to stay after orchestra. He asks her about her absence on Friday, then tells her that she needs to make sure she is dedicated, as more practices will be happening as they near their next show. Through it all, Lotus wonders how much he knows about the incident with Adolpho and whether he willingly ignored what was happening.

At lunch, Lotus’s friends question her about her hair. She continues to act like it doesn’t bother her and it’s just a new style, but she can tell that her friends don’t believe her. As they avoid talking about it further, she realizes that “the whole episode leaves [her] feeling sad and alone” (164).

The next day, Lotus’s friends apologize to her. They tell her that they didn’t mean to offend her if she truly wanted to change herself. However, they also insist that she shouldn’t change who she is for anyone.

On Wednesday, the day of Lotus’s conference, she goes to a conference room after school with her mother. She is shocked when Adolpho is there with his parents. She feels as though a “conspiracy” is happening, despite how nicely Adolpho’s parents greet her.

Mr. Mackie tells Lotus that Mrs. Cortez—Adolpho’s mother—is there to represent the school board. She immediately confronts Lotus about her hair. She tells Mr. Mackie that Lotus’s new hair is a good “start,” but it is still not good enough to be concertmaster. She insists that Lotus sign a contract promising to change her look. Lotus and Mr. Mackie both try to intervene, but Mrs. Cortez ignores them and continues talking. She uses words like “primitive” (173) and “unkempt” (176) to describe Lotus’s appearance. Lotus tries to argue that Adolpho was the one bullying her, while Mr. Mackie tries to tell Mrs. Cortez that Lotus met the requirements of their agreement. Mrs. Cortez dismisses them both. She then suggests that Lotus cut her hair or go back to MacArthur, and Lotus is shocked when her mother speaks up. She angrily tells Mrs. Cortez that Lotus will not be cutting her hair, then insists they are finished talking and leaves with Lotus.

Outside, Lotus can tell that her mother is still visibly angry. She calls Mrs. Cortez the “devil” and tells Lotus that she will support whatever Lotus does, adamant that Lotus does not need to cut her hair.

When Lotus gets home, she goes for a walk. She finds Dion sitting at the beach. She can tell that he is also upset. The two get ice cream together, then Dion suggests they talk about their bad days.

Dion tells her that it is his older brother’s birthday. However, he died two years ago. He was visiting Miami on leave from the military when he was robbed at gunpoint, then shot because he did not have any cash. Lotus is unsure how to react, feeling deeply sorry for him, but Dion insists that she just needs to “be [his] friend” as he holds her hand (182).

Dion then prods Lotus to tell him about her conference. She tells him how Mrs. Cortez acted and her own mother’s reaction to it. She realizes as she talks that she is not as “alone” as she thought—as her mother supported her passionately when it came down to it.

When she finishes the story, Dion tells her that she will never be able to just go along with things. As a Black woman, she is always going to have to struggle. He compares it to his sexuality. He chooses to wear makeup and stand out “to make people have to pay attention” (186) and respect him—which they wouldn’t otherwise do, because he is a gay man. Similarly, he wants Lotus to make herself seen and heard in a “white” world.

Lotus thinks of how he is right, but that their situations are different: She does not want to be seen but would rather blend in. When she mentions this to Dion, he points out that her clothing and her afro tell a different story. She realizes that maybe he is right.

The next morning, Lotus’s dad calls her before school, but she ignores him. She decides to put her hair back into an afro. When she goes downstairs, her mother questions her. She tells Lotus that the choice is hers, but she needs to be aware of what she is doing and what the consequences will be. Lotus insists that she is.

On the walk to school, she waits for Rebel. She tells Rebel about how she put her hair in braids and about her meeting. She then apologizes for not standing up for herself and not being there to help Rebel at the board meetings. However, Rebel tells her that she is proud of Lotus for standing up for herself now and immediately starts making plans for how Lotus can help MacArthur. Lotus feels unsettled by how passionate Rebel is about it but feels comforted by her support.