Oluo patiently listens to her friend's ideas for strategies that could be used to improve the lives of those with low socioeconomic status in the United States. When he suggests actions like increasing the minimum wage, Oluo retorts that an increased minimum wage will not help her if she is less likely to even get an interview due to her "black-sounding name" (19). She also brings up issues such as suffering higher rates of expulsion from school and higher rates of incarceration, again asking her friend how strengthening unions is going to help combat these types of injustices involving race.