Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña

Quality Rating: 4.5 out of 5

"'Sometimes when you're surrounded by dirt, CJ, you're a better witness for what's beautiful.'" (de la Peña 22)

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Summary:

CJ and his grandmother ride the bus across town every Sunday after church. As they ride the bus, CJ questions many aspects of their bus ride. Why do they have to ride the bus instead of in a car like his friend Colby? Why doesn't he have an iPod to listen to like the boy on the bus? Why do they always get off the bus in the run-down part of town? For every question, CJ's grandmother responds with a positive, uplifting and encouraging message. With grandmother's help, CJ is able to see the fun and beauty in the world around them.

Stereotypes/biases dismantled in the text:

1. Inner-city African Americans can't afford vehicles and rely on public transportation to travel.

Many of the poorer communities within cities have higher African American and Latinx populations compared to the wealthier parts of cities that are primarily white. Some lower income families may not be able to afford a vehicle and all of the additional expenses that come along with one (such as insurance, maintenance and repairs, parking, etc.). CJ opens up this conversation while waiting for the bus with his grandmother. Owning a vehicle, in any case, boils down to the ability to afford it. Any individual or family that deems owning a vehicle isn't worth the expenses and opts to use public transportation is making a choice that impacts their financial situation. Yes, a portion of the individuals who choose to utilize public transportation are African American, but that doesn't mean that this group is the only racial group that uses the public transportation system and/or they can't afford vehicles. de la Peña suggests with CJ's question that individuals might be able to afford a vehicle but choose not to purchase one in order to save money. This is the same with all races, not just African Americans. We can't make assumptions on someone's financial situation based on the mode of transportation used. Public transportation may just be a saving grace financially speaking for some inner-city families that struggle to make ends meet. Not all of these families are African American either. We can't associate one socioeconomic status with an entire group of people, as this is a generalization and not an accurate representation of the whole community.

2. The "dirty" parts of town are associated with the African American community.

Immediately when some people think of the "dirty" parts of town, they think of run-down, impoverished, crime and drug-infested, violence-prone "ghettos" of cities. Similarly, African American are often unfairly associated with this context; the media contributes to these discriminatory perceptions of African American communities. Because the media bombards us with stereotypes, we see this association play out in hundreds of different scenarios in the media, leading many to believe such stereotypes are real. We need to learn to recognize that people of color face diverse economic circumstances and live in a variety of settings-- which demonstrates sheer resilience, given that our country's economy was built on and continues to reinforce racial oppression. The author showcased this concept in his illustrations of the run-down parts of the city. Likewise, a common misconception is that poor parts of town lack beauty. However, in the mind of CJ's grandmother, society needs to focus on the good aspects of a community and see the beauty. There are always positives to the current situation and outlook of aspects of life and the "dirty" parts of town are no exception.

Misconceptions I realized I was carrying:

1. It isn't safe for a woman to be walking around in the poor parts of town without another adult.

This stems from being trained to think of all possible dangerous scenarios that can happen to women who are in public by themselves. CJ was with his grandmother as they went to the food pantry, but if anything were to happen to his grandmother, he wouldn't have been much protection. In the pictures she didn't seem to be carrying any kind of self-defense item (pepper spray, keys, etc.) that might be useful in a dangerous encounter. The concept of the poor part of town being dangerous is apparent in my misconception. Growing up, I was programmed into thinking that the city isn't safe for a woman whatsoever and that I need to take precautions (such as carrying self-defense items, never going out alone, etc.) in order to ensure my safety. Images of crumbling sidewalks, boarded up buildings, and graffiti everywhere were indicators identified as characteristics of a dangerous setting. You can't judge a book by its cover; just because we associate our experiences and knowledge of a location with the looks of that location, doesn't mean we know that those positive or negative associations are valid. Not all poor parts of cities are dangerous.