Wednesday, August 18, 2004

More than just black and white

The Intowner just briefly touched on it in this month's article about gentrification in Shaw. One little thing is that it is not just a phenomenon of white people moving in and kicking out black people. There is an element of class and general self interest within the African American community that adds to the mix.

Who do you think owns the land
There are a lot of renters in Shaw. These not only include apartment buildings but also houses converted into apartments or whole townhomes rented out to families or made into boarding/group homes. Who owns those houses? Who owns the houses where people are getting pushed out by gentrification? It may be wrong to assume it is always "THE MAN", the unknown white WASPY figure in the shadowy background ever exploiting minorities. It isn't always so. If my own block is a good example, two Section 8 houses are owned by a man of African decent (can't remember if he's from the islands or from Africa), and the other is owned by the Jamaican lawyer. There are plenty of houses rented out to poorer Afro-Americans owned by middle class African Americans, who live elsewhere. So when the economic revival comes, do you think Black solidarity will keep black landlords from kicking out their tenants?

Two good examples are the building that once housed Sisterspace and the Kesley Garden apartments. The Sisterspace building is owned by an elderly African American man. Sisterspace, was a bookstore catering to the Black community. After many years of disagreement about the lease and a legal battle, Sisterspace was kicked to the curb. Gentrification was to blame. Yes, the economic revival was to blame, but the person removing this black business was another black business. The apartment building Kesley Gardens is owned by an African American church in SE DC. The church is working toward removing the tenants so the building can be converted into luxury condos.

The Good Thing About Gentrification Is....
When Whole Foods first moved in my Aunt was doubtful that blacks would take to it. The conversation didn't get past, "Black folk, um, I don't know..." Go into the Whole Foods/Fresh Fields on the weekend when it is packed, you will see a diversity of black faces, and I'm not talking about the ones behind the counters. There are African cabbies, who have discovered the joys of a central location with parking, eating in the booths near the cashiers. There are the all-natural brothers and sistahs, in search of the veggie/vegan organic food you cannot get at the corner quickie mart deep in Shaw. Products of Jack & Jill wander the aisles, possibly in search of something for a dinner party? Oh, yeah and me blowing no less than $12 on wine, fish, fruit, or chocolate. Occasionally, there may be a woman in FF with kids, whose class background could be middle class to working class, but hard to tell.

For those of us who survive the wave of gentrification or are waving it in, the fruits of it are enjoyed. The equity in the house is much appreciated. The new eatery that serves good food, and maybe a place to sit, is nice too. The shops catering to the middle and upper classes that come into Shaw do not have "Whites Only" signs in front. The only signs are for VISA, MasterCard, and American Express, because the only color that counts is green.

In Closing
The point I have tried to make is that gentrification is not necessarily anti-African American. Gentrification isn't necessarily pushed and helped by Anglos only either. It is economic. But in Shaw the victims of gentrification have a black face and the new residents tend to be white, so it is easy to simply it and say that blacks are being pushed out by whites. It's economic. People who do not have the means to stay are leaving, people who do have the means come and stay, and because the middle class in dominated by one racial group it is easy to lose site of the incoming minorities.

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4 Comments:

At 5/18/2007 12:15 PM, Blogger C Love "The Rap Addict" said...

do u find that now that you are a home owner in the area that your impressions are changing regarding gentrification.


I must admit....i sometimes look at the issue along racial lines because thats what I see....but on the other hand....as a person who is interested in buying a home....and because IMO the best housing stock are in the historically black areas......I am having difficulty finding an area where their is a pronounced effort to attract young black professionals. I have no children ....I am college educated, but I do not make enough money to afford to live in the morew established (whiter areas)....I dont want to stretch myself...but it seems like black ppl who dont make over 60000 are put in a bad situation because we can only afford to live in certain areas....which in my city (around other black ppl).....and this means you are living next to ppl who may not share you views on how to maintain a home......and the benefits of commmunity organization

 
At 5/18/2007 12:50 PM, Blogger Mari said...

A comment 3 years after the post...
Anyways, you currently may make 60K this year, but what about 3 years down the road? I am nearly, making about 30%-40% more money than I did three years ago. If I were married at the time of purchase that 2nd income would have made it easier to buy in areas that were more established. Part of the issue is the young part. A 25 year old you isn't going to have as much money as a 35 year old you. And the only places really trying to attract a young buyer are condos, not neighborhoods.
Neighborhoods are best when there is a diversity of ages. That allows for stability so that few feel obligated to move out after 10 years. Also having to deal with seniors, children, and people slightly older/younger than you, makes you a better and more tolerant person. That or better at screaming at kids to get out of your yard.
That statement " IMO the best housing stock are in the historically black areas" rings empty in my current experience. I'm renovating my house and that general comment about houses with old bones is a damned lie. The cute architectural details distract you from the not-to-code wiring, and other nasties hiding behind the drywall or plaster in older homes. Feel free to have an opposing opinion.
And there are black middle class neighborhoods in the city but they keep a very low profile and possibly 100s in PG County.

 
At 5/27/2007 4:09 PM, Blogger christopherlee said...

The African-American Negro is at a problematic point in his history. The FACT that he is in North America in the first place is because of both the brutality and ingenuity of the English Empire. No African pre-WWII came here volitionally. Now with the hard faught reforms of an overtly racist establishment he must chart his course forward. One could argue that he has the choice now to go back to Africa, but that's absurd , he has to admit the the deveoloped West is a good deal. Yes he played a problematic part in it's evolution, but he has to face the goodness of life in America.

 
At 5/27/2007 4:50 PM, Blogger Mari said...

Essh. Dude. I'm closing comments for older posts. These new comments older post thing is so disjointed.

 

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