Reexamining Gentrification

Reexamining Gentrification

During his town hall last week, an audience member questioned President Obama’s views on gentrification and its role in our communities. Among other things, Obama said called it a most likely “welcome problem,” for many suffering neighborhoods in this economy.

But why would gentrification be viewed as a problem in the first place? Because society misunderstands it. The general notion these days is that a gentrification occurs when whites begin to increasingly occupy traditionally urban, Black neighborhoods.

But it’s really about “when a middle-class person moves into a poor neighborhood,” says Charles Wilson, president of the Historic Anacostia Block Association. In an article today by The Washington Post, Wilson says he realized after reading the definition of gentrification that as a Black man he is still “a gentrifier.”

The article highlights an important aspect of Black culture that is too often lacking in present economic and political discussions – by taking pride in our communities, we have the power to improve our surroundings.

While the notion of gentrification “makes so many people uncomfortable,” does it really have to? Should the African American community begin to claim the g-word as its own?