Robinet is acutely aware of social injustices which she presents in Walking to the Bus-Rider Blues. Her African-American characters experience inequitable treatment and seek improvement not only for themselves but for all people. Racism is the most serious social issue in this novel. Although some whites sympathetic to blacks' plight assist them in minor ways or verbally support them, most whites are depicted as contributing to the problem of segregation.

Alfa refers to the "white establishment" and "system" that attempt to prevent him from pursuing his dreams and securing sufficient resources to advance beyond his marginal lifestyle.

While trying to resolve his concerns about rent money and public respect for his family, Alfa becomes aware that whites also have personal and economic problems. Even though Alfa tends to be empathetic, he often withholds understanding for whites because "I had discovered that they paid for what was...