Coming to Frieda's Rescue.

"I told Mama and she told Daddy... Daddy saw him come up on the porch, he threw our old tricycle at his head and knocked him off the porch." - P. 100

Frieda's uncertainty on how to describe what happened to her and the pain from the experience is eased by her parents coming to her defense. However, Frieda still doesn't understand what happened to her and why; thus she lives with a vague fear of being 'ruined'. This event of Frieda being abused by Henry marks the first time the parents act as appropriate defenders of their children. This passage shows that not only racism distort the girlhoods of young black girls.

What is the significance of the parents refusal to teach their girls about sexuality and their insecurities as black girls?