Osei “O” Kokote (Othello)

O is a black 6th grader boy who arrives in the last month of the school year at an all-white suburban Washington, D.C. elementary school. As the son of a Ghanaian diplomat, O has moved frequently from country to country and school to school, each time encountering both aggressive and passive racism. O is an attractive, clean-cut kid who holds himself confidently and speaks in a formal, slightly accented voice. He is a B-average student, often preoccupied with flying under the radar, and enjoys sports, although he hates the way that white kids stereotype his athleticism.

O is drawn immediately to Dee, first by her beauty and then by her profound kindness. While she is still subject to the ignorance and unconscious racism of her peers, Dee is perhaps the first white student whom O sees as a true ally. Though their romance is...