Chisholm High School, Harlem, New York City, the Present

Xiomara describes Chisholm High School as a formerly violent school that has a poor reputation because of its past. In the present time, the school is locked down with metal detectors and security guards who police the students. This security, ostensibly for the safety of students, is one of the reasons Xiomara feels that the school is a prison. Beyond the physical setting is the social setting. Xiomara describes repeated instances of sexual harassment and physical violence, some of which is witnessed and ignored by teachers. Chisholm High School, with its shabby surroundings and strong security presence, is presented as a stereotypical inner-city school that is viewed by the characters as a place from which one must escape.

Harlem, New York City, the Present and the Future

Harlem, a northern district in the New York City borough of Manhattanville, is...