Take Back the Block

“My breaths got lighter as soon as I saw the rickety K SINGTON OAKS sign. The E and N were missing, but I was home. Entering Kensington Oaks is like being hugged by a grove of oak trees and sunshine. I’ve lived in the Oaks my whole life, and I’ve known all my neighbors since the days of tricycle races. The houses and yards are small, but that just means I can hop from one yard to the next quick enough to make it home before the streetlights come on.

The Oaks is an inner-city neighborhood–well, that’s what they call it on the evening news. I guess that means it’s a neighborhood full of poor Black people. To us it’s a cocoon in the middle of a crowded city, just eight blocks from the center of town.

Even though we’re surrounded by noise, the Oaks is calm–quiet, even. That’s mostly because of the community’s board of organizers. Mom is the board’s director. Yep, that means I’m a volunteer, by default.”

This quote develops The Significance of Community and Cultural Heritage by showing why Wes loves his community so much. It doesn’t matter that the yards are small and the neighborhood sign is missing letters (things that gentrification would likely aim to “fix”). What matters to Wes is that his neighbors are supportive, loving, and communal (things that gentrification wouldn’t be able to replicate). To Wes, a community is not measured by the value of their material things, but by the depth of their connections to each other.

“We all live in the Oaks, except Mya. She and her family moved a couple years ago when her dad got a new job. Now she lives on the Southside—the rich side of town where all the houses are brick and have at least three-car garages. We don’t even have one garage, not to mention three. Mya’s new house has a pool and a little house near the pool she gets to use for sleepovers. This summer we’ve taken over Mya’s pool at least once a week when we aren’t in the Oaks. I think we all secretly wish we had Mya’s new life—I know I do.”

This quote contains foreshadowing and irony because early in the novel, before Simmons has offered to buy every house in Kensington Oaks for more than market value, Wes to want a bigger house like Mya’s, even if it’s in a different neighborhood. Once the Simmons offer comes in, Wes changes his perspective and decides he’d rather stay in Kensington Oaks. At first, Wes envies Mya for her money, but ultimately, he decides community is more important than extra money.

“The wall behind my bed is reserved for puzzles. They’re kinda my thing. I started collecting them a few years back when Mr. Hank gave me one for my birthday. He said I needed something to stimulate my mind and video games didn't count. I spent hours piecing together that first puzzle, and even though I never told him, Mr. Hank was right. I was hooked—something about taking a broken picture and slowly clicking each piece into place, making it whole again, made me feel good.”

This passage introduces the symbolism of puzzles, which represent Wes’s talent for problem-solving. Early on, Wes’s problems are still simple and easily solved, and he believes that puzzles are merely a fun, leisurely pastime. Later, however, the image of puzzles will take on a much deeper significance as his problems become more complex and harder to solve.

“When we got to our house, the mood changed. A grayness hung over us, like a rain cloud ready to unload. We unpacked ourselves out of the SUV and walked across the driveway. The closer we got to the front door, the grayer the air got. Alyssa’s mom and Brent’s and Jas’s parents were all hunched together on the front porch. They were staring at a piece of paper clenched tightly in Mom’s hands.”

This passage uses figurative language and imagery to introduce the novel’s conflict of gentrification and highlight the tension and dread that it causes for the residents. The metaphor of a “grayness” that hangs over the adults suggests that some oppressive problem is weighing on their shoulders. The simile of a “rain cloud” likens gentrification to a storm, which threatens to ruin the mood of their community. Although the kids don’t yet know what’s going on, they can immediately sense that something is wrong, and the dull, ominous imagery in this passage effectively communicates the mood.

“There was no way I could leave. The Oaks is my home. I’ve done everything here—met my best friends, learned how to ride a bike, made my first three-pointer on the court at the park, and had so many epic hide-and-seek games—oak trees are the best for hiding. Flashes of all my favorite memories popped into my mind—a highlight reel of my life. How could I leave all that?”

This passage illustrates The Significance of Community and Cultural Heritage because it shows how important Kensington Oaks is to Wes. However, this early in the novel, Wes’s concept of “community” is still underdeveloped. This passage is mostly about how Wes as an individual has benefited from living in Kensington Oaks, but it fails to address how the community has benefited other members as well. Later in the novel, Wes widens his perspective and realizes that saving the Oaks is important to everyone who lives there.

“I needed to slow my mind down and focus on something else, so I pulled out my new puzzle.

[…]

I needed to work on a challenge I could fix all on my own. Puzzles kept my mind and hands busy and somehow made me calm too.

I […] got to work turning all the pieces faceup. I started with the outside border of the puzzle, a strategy I read in a book on how to be a puzzle master. The book said the picture was clearer when you focused on the outside view and then concentrated on the inner details.”

This passage develops the symbolism of puzzles, which represent Wes’s problem-solving skills. The eagerness of the tone clearly indicates that Wes enjoys solving problems by himself and gains a sense of calm from this process. Later, as his problems get more complicated, there is ultimately some stress involved in problem-solving as well. This passage also explains how the strategy of looking at the “big picture” rather than getting bogged down in small details can be helpful, not only for puzzles but also for the real-life problems that Wes must face.

“Until now, I never remembered having an ice cream shop or anything like a fancy create-your-own milk shake store near the Oaks. […]

We were just a few blocks from the Oaks, but everything was different over here, even the police officers. On the walk over, we passed two officers riding bikes. They looked at us real funny, but we kept our eyes straight and fast-walked past them.

A couple streets past this place was the new condo construction where Kari used to live. I guess with fancy condos going up, everything had to be new–which was nice. I mean, I’m not complaining, my milk shake was just right, but after the offer letter, I was starting to wonder what would happen if the Oaks got redeveloped. Would our street be the latest home to a bunch of stores that let you build your own pizza, bake your own doughnuts, and blend your own organic fruit smoothies?”

This passage develops the symbolism of new shops and restaurants, which represent The Impact of Gentrification on Communities. To Wes and his friends, these establishments seem positive at first, but they sense that there is something ominous beneath the surface. Wes articulates this feeling at the end of the passage when he wonders if his and his neighbors’ houses will be torn down and replaced by similar establishments. The juxtaposition of the joyful-seeming milkshake shop with the unfamiliar, vaguely threatening police officers illustrates gentrification’s negative side, which lies just beneath the surface despite how glamorous that surface may seem.

“‘Read this, an article in the Observer, ‘Is Gentrification the New Segregation?’ It says when neighborhoods are renovated to appeal to richer residents, it’s called gentrification.’ I’d heard that word before, at some of the marches, but seeing it spelled out made it feel way more real.

‘It’s the cause of many poor families being forced to move,’ I said, continuing to read the article. ‘This was written by a middle school teacher named Byron Baker.’

[…]

‘That’s what happened to Kari. The same thing will happen to us if we don’t fix this.’

[…] A fire was rising in my belly. The offer letter from Simmons Development Group was the kindling; the information in Mr. Baker’s article was the firewood. I needed to find a way to put this fire out.”

In this passage, Wes finds a name to describe the problem he is facing, which is useful because it allows him to break the problem down into manageable chunks, conduct further research, and look for potential solutions. Despite the benefits of naming the problem, the issue still seems overwhelming. Wes articulates this idea when he uses the metaphor of a “fire” to describe the quickly unfolding threat of gentrification and the feelings he’s experiencing as a result. However, he will find a way to put the fire out or at least prevent it from spreading too far, and identifying the problem with a name was the first step in accomplishing this.

“That night in bed, a twenty-pound weight pressed on my chest. Twenty pounds of guilt. I tossed back and forth, trying to get it to ease. It wouldn’t go away. I’m a horrible friend–I’d turned my back on Kari when his family had to move, and here he was, still on my team. I’d thought the condo building downtown wasn’t that bad. If only someone had stopped Simmons before now, maybe they wouldn’t have come for the Oaks.”

Here, Wes uses the metaphor of a heavy weight to describe the feeling of guilt he’s experiencing after letting Kari down. This quote marks an important moment in Wes’s friendship with Kari because he realizes how significant it is that Kari is still there for him despite Wes’s past shortcomings. This passage illustrates The Significance of Community and Cultural Heritage because fighting gentrification is not just about protecting one’s own neighborhood, but protecting a web of neighborhoods that are part of interconnected communities.

“After the last slide flipped, tears streamed down the faces of many of the neighbors. It was like a warm blanket, fresh out of the dryer, was wrapped around the park.

[…]

I wasn’t sure if the block party would convince everyone to reject the offer from Simmons Development Group, but it felt like we were a community again—smiling and talking and hugging—and I never wanted that feeling to end.”

This quote uses the simile of a warm blanket to describe the collective tears that the neighbors are shedding, which clarifies that the tears are not purely sad, but bittersweet or even happy. This quote also develops The Significance of Community and Cultural Heritage by illustrating how a community can persevere even in the face of gentrification and impending physical separation. At first, Wes seems to think that he needs to prevent all neighbors from moving in order to save Kensington Oaks, but here, he considers the possibility that even if some neighbors move, the community will still remain a community because of shared memories and affections that endure.

“‘He didn’t give me a chance to explain that I used to live here too. He just pushed me into the car. It was like he didn’t even hear me talking,’ Kari said. ‘Like someone turned my voice off.’

I could tell Dad was thinking about what to say next. He always has the right answers, but this was different–like he was searching in a puzzle box for the right piece.”

This quote further develops the symbolism of puzzles, which represent problem-solving skills, but here, even Wes’s dad struggles to locate the right “piece” to solve this puzzle of the police’s decision to unjustly target Kari. The passage illustrates that some problems are difficult even for adults to solve and may require creative solutions that may not conveniently contain the right “piece.”

“I never thought the police killings from TV that Mom made me march for had anything to do with the Oaks. But the way Officer Stewart had stood over us, ordering us around when we hadn’t done anything wrong, made me think about how bad things could happen even when you’re trying to do good.”

This quote explains a different aspect of The Impact of Gentrification on Communities. With new police officers patrolling Kensington Oaks, problems immediately arise because the new officers treat Black children with suspicion instead of familiarity. This detrimental shift in attitude leads to misunderstandings and potential violence. In Kari’s case, it causes a traumatic experience that displaces and alienates him, causing him to move again and switch to a new school, which is disruptive to his academic performance, his relationships, and his emotional well-being.

“‘I understand how you feel, but you’ve had too many successes to give up now. Sometimes change takes a long time,’ Ms. Monica said. ‘‘The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.’’

I thought I’d heard Mom say that before, and I was pretty sure it meant Ms. Monica wasn’t about to let me give up.”

This quote doesn’t mention puzzles directly, but it helps Wes rethink his problem-solving strategies. Unlike actual puzzles, which are relatively easy, stress-free, and guaranteed to have a straightforward solution, real-life problems can be complex, time-consuming, and require alternative or creative methods.

“My favorite spot in the park is the brick path that leads from the long row of oak trees. At the very end of the path is an old water fountain. It’s about three feet tall with a small steel water basin, and carved into its base is a row of swirly leaves.

Last year when the community repaved the walkway, the board debated getting rid of the fountain, but I was glad they’d decided to keep it. I’ve always felt a connection to it; whenever me and my friends used to play hide-and-seek, I would take off running toward the fountain. If I arrived there untouched, I knew I’d made it safely home.”

This passage introduces the symbolism of the fountain in Wes’s local park. At this point, he doesn’t yet know that the fountain has historical significance, but the fountain still symbolizes Wes’s home and community, making Wes feel safe when he reaches it during hide-and-seek.

“‘About eighty-five years ago, Kensington Oaks was called Pippin Village,’ I started. ‘It was named after Frederick Pippin, a Black man who owned a lumber mill and a bunch of houses on this land.’

I went on to tell them everything I’d learned and how the history of Mr. Pippin had been buried […]

[…]

‘I was thinking we could use this information to get the Oaks named historic, and then Simmons can’t redevelop it.’

‘That sounds great, but I’m pretty sure that process is a long, hard road,’ Dad said.

‘It’s better than waiting for Simmons to kick us out and build another condo building,’ I said. ‘We have to protect our history, right?’

Dad smiled. He knew that I’d just used his line against him.

‘Wes is right,’ Mom said to Dad.”

Wes repeats his father and mother’s words from earlier in the novel to convince them to go along with his plan of getting Kensington Oaks designated as a historical place. This repetition also thematically emphasizes The Significance of Community and Cultural Heritage.

“She was standing in front of a water fountain–it was just a bit shorter than her and had a steel water basin.

Could it have the same swirly leaves around the base as the fountain in the park?

[…]

That must be why I’ve always felt a connection to the water fountain. It’s the final missing piece of the Pippin puzzle.

I imagined the children from Pippin Village playing on the very land I’ve lived on my whole life–standing on the same ground where I play basketball, even drinking from the same water fountain.”

This passage further develops the symbolism of the fountain and emphasizes The Significance of Community and Cultural Heritage. With the fountain’s historical significance revealed, Wes realizes that his “community” does not just include those who live in Kensington Oaks currently, but it also encompasses those who lived there in the past. Thus, Wes’s actions bring him to a greater understanding of the ways in which past and present residents are connected.

“I’d been so antsy lately; fixing puzzles was like a breath of fresh air.

[…]

‘You know, Wes…not everyone is gifted with the fight and drive you have. That thing deep inside pushing you to seek out your own way, that’s called being a leader.’

[…]

I gave Mom a hard time, but I knew she was trying to help. The thing is, Mom is a leader—at everything, really. When she walks into a room, she controls it. She always says the right words, and I’ve never seen her back down from a challenge.

She does it all: PTA meetings, class volunteer, chaperone, awesome cook, and a decent basketball player. I would never admit it to her, but my mom is pretty dope.

I’m not sure I’ll ever be the leader she is.

I fit the last puzzle piece in place. Something about how each part fit so perfect and exact made me envious.”

This passage complicates The Importance of Youth Activism and Leadership and develops the symbolism of puzzles to stand for problem-solving. Wes’s mom insists that he is a natural leader, but he worries that he will not be able to live up to his mom’s own extensive track record as a community leader. Ironically, Wes’s concern that he’ll never “be the leader she is” is true in a sense; he won’t be the same type of leader, but he will soon learn that there are many different ways to lead. His own leadership style may not yet seem “perfect” to him, but that’s because he’s working on a very difficult problem and is still in the process of solving it.

“During the short five-mile drive to the high school, we were transported to another place—a place way nicer than what I remembered. The neighborhoods around East Wood High used to be made up of small, old homes. Now in their place were rows of three-story stone-front town houses. [The] houses […] looked like they’d probably be two or three times the size of mine when they were finished.

[…]

‘It did happen fast. Those homes went up, and everything else followed,’ Mr. Reggie explained […]. ‘What bothers me is all these improvements to the school happened when the rich white people moved in. That old parking lot has been in bad shape for years. Same for the inside of the school. It wasn’t until we moved out and they moved in that someone spent some money to update the place.’

[…]

I listened quietly and thought about Mr. Baker’s article, ‘Is Gentrification the New Segregation?’ I wasn’t sure, but it was starting to seem that way, considering Mr. Reggie had moved out of his neighborhood and now it was filling up with white people. The same way the Oaks was once all white and when Mom moved in it slowly turned mostly Black. The same thing was happening around East Wood, but in reverse. Yeah, maybe segregation was back.”

This passage develops The Impact of Gentrification on Communities and shows that although some positive changes may result from gentrification (such as improvements to school buildings), these changes benefit new residents rather than the original, displaced residents. Because the new residents are often affluent, upper-class, and white, whereas the original residents are often Black, brown, and/or working-class, gentrification widens the racialized class gap rather than closing it, helping communities that are already ahead rather than communities that are underprivileged. Wes reflects that this process effectively causes segregation because original residents can no longer afford to live in communities that have been taken over by upper-class, white people. Therefore, he realizes that his teacher’s question in his article was very apt.

“‘It’s good. Most of my neighbors go there, so I already know a lot of people…I miss you guys, though, and it’s kinda weird being the only Black girl in most of my classes.’

[…]

‘You know you’re always teasing me for being too white, but the kids at my new school tease me for being too Black. Especially if I wear my hair in cornrows–and I can’t even mention my old neighborhood without someone joking about how I survived the hood. I’m kinda over it.’

[…]

‘I just want to be me, without all the extra Black and white stuff.’”

This passage complicates the notion of privilege; previously, the other kids thought that Mya was more privileged because of her socioeconomic class and ethnic background. However, now it is revealed that her situation comes with its own challenges because both of Mya’s friend groups make fun of her racial identity and reduce her to her race. Also, this passage shows how attending a school in a gentrified area isn’t necessarily preferable, because as the only Black girl in most of her classes, Mya is racially targeted even more than she was at her old school.

“‘We aren’t going anywhere!’ I said, but I only half believed it. Deep down I knew the odds of getting the historic designation were slim. And even if we did get designated, the Oaks would never be a complete puzzle again. Too many pieces were missing now.”

In this passage, the symbolism of puzzles shifts significantly. Now, puzzles represent the actual “problem” that Wes is trying to solve—Kensington Oaks—rather than problem-solving in general. He thinks of the Oaks as a puzzle, and each family of residents as a puzzle piece. Because some have moved away, he believes that these “pieces” are now missing and that the community will never be whole again. He soon learns that even if someone moves away from a place, they are still part of that community.

“‘I’m happy we were approved for the designation, but I know that alone won’t save Kensington Oaks, or other neighborhoods like it. The most important thing I learned is, we have to work together to protect our history and glow up our own neighborhoods. That’s the only way to take back our blocks.’

[…]

‘You did it. Wasn’t sure how this would all turn out, but I should’ve known you’d fix it. And you didn’t even make it all about you.’

[…] I laughed. I knew Brent was joking, but he was right. It wasn’t just about saving my house. It was about Mr. Pippin and Mr. Hank, Alyssa and her mom, the Silvas, and everyone else who loved the Oaks as much as I did.”

This passage complicates the meaning of community. The value of community doesn’t just stem from the fact that it benefits Wes. Instead, the community is valuable and worth saving because it benefits all the neighbors in an interconnected web. Additionally, in order to “take back the block,” Wes has to work together with his community, rather than just working alone.

“Mya and Kari had actually made up. I’d staged an intervention to get them cool again. Mya explained to Kari that it hurt her feelings when he didn’t squash the rumor. She also agreed that she’d overreacted a bit. They hugged it out—clicking the last pieces of the puzzle into place, making the crew whole again.”

This passage further develops the symbolism of puzzles, which in this case stand for community and Wes’s repaired friend group. Even though Mya and Kari have both moved away from Kensington Oaks, Wes still considers them “pieces” of that “puzzle” because they’re still part of the community despite physical distance.

“I’ve turned into Mom—a much flyer version. I guess I do have that thing deep inside pushing me to seek out my own way. I am a leader.”

This quote emphasizes The Importance of Youth Activism and Leadership. Earlier, Wes worried that he couldn’t be a leader because he wasn’t exactly like his mom, who is very leadership-oriented. Here, he understands that he is a different “version” of his mom, for although he does not have all the same strengths, he still has the ability to become a leader. The world needs different types of leaders to solve different types of problems, and youth leaders have their own unique role in social change.