A social activist, writer, teacher, and graduate from Queens College, Toni Cade, who later changed legally to Toni Cade Bambara, is one of the representatives of the Afro- American writers and black socially political black activist in American history. She has made many contributions to the inner city especially in her own upbringing in Bed- Stuy, NY and Harlem where she was born, March 25, 1939. Growing up in what was then one of the roughest cities she managed to succeed in life with her many accomplishments but not without the help of her two dearest mentors for whom she cared greatly. Miss Naomi and Miss Gladys, both whom were there during her adolescence to give her advice on life whether it be simple or complicated. Like in her famous, Gorilla My Love, she also wrote poetry, you might recognize one her famous The Black Woman. (Morrison108-109).
             Toni Cade Bambara's "The Lesson" is a short story about a group of young kids in the inner-city experiencing what it is like when you are deprived of a world with no limits, which I believe is true because I have experienced it first hand myself without someone their to show it to me. Sylvia, the main character, is being taught a lesson on discrimination and what it is like to be out of poverty and in a high class white society by Miss Moore, a close but not a true friend of her parents. Her cousin known as Sugar and her friends Rosie, Giraffe, Mercedes, FlyBoy, and Junebug accompanies Sylvia. In this story Toni Cade starts off by stating who's who and then gets into the plot which takes place in a toy store. Miss Moore takes them to the store by cab, They head to Fith Avenue and in the cab Miss Moore tries to teach Sylvia some arithmetic as she asks her to give the taxi cab driver 10 percent of what she
             owes as a tip. After ignoring her, they all make it to the toy store and by this time in the story Sylvia has made many rude remarks about others and comes off as a bully ...