The Hidden Oppressor

If I asked you to define the word “gentrification,” would you be able to? 

I’m sure many of you have heard the term before, but what about recognizing it in your own communities? The concept of gentrification goes beyond simply noticing the new Starbucks that was opened in the local “low-income” neighborhood. I say this, not to be critical of the general public, but rather to share some of the knowledge that I was also lacking before being thrown into the middle of it. 

Attending college in New York City, a hub for gentrification, has allowed me to see the damage being done up close. For these reasons, I think it best to mainly focus on things that are happening locally and then eventually broaden the topic to encompass gentrification happening in other areas. So let’s break it down:

What is gentrification? 

The textbook definition for “gentrification,” as Pete Saunders writes for Forbes, is “the transition of a community from low-income or working-class status to middle-class or affluent status, largely through in-migration. It starts by defining the demographic composition of a city at a fixed time, and documenting changes from that time.” But this definition is very on-the-surface. Pete continues by describing 4 demographic factors that occur during and after the process: “1) median age; 2) white and minority population composition; 3) educational attainment; and 4) household size.” 

A report compiled by both UC Berkeley and UCLA documents that some of the first uses of the term “gentrification” note “the influx of a ‘gentry’ in lower income neighborhoods in London during the 1950s and 60s.” The common thread in both of these definitions is that gentrification implies the movement of the wealthy into areas of low income. And in the American social tradition, “the wealthy” equates to white and “low income” more often than not equates to black. 

The surface description of gentrification makes it seem like a good thing. A revitalization (or so it’s called) of a struggling economic part of the city is oftentimes how the process is branded. But even though the neighborhood itself may be getting revamped, the worst consequences are faced by its inhabitants. The previous report also mentions that revitalization “can take two forms: incumbent upgrading and gentrification.” It goes on to describe the two:

“Incumbent upgrading, whereupon existing residents improve the conditions of their neighborhood, is catalyzed by the cost of housing, the rise of neighborhood consciousness, demographic pressure, and reduced pressures from migrants to the city. Gentrification, on the other hand, draws middle class residents to the city, attracted by job and recreational opportunities, low and appreciating housing prices, stabilization of negative social conditions (such as crime), and lifestyle or aesthetic considerations.”

The key takeaway here is that gentrification forces inhabitants out of their own neighborhood because they can no longer afford to live in the area being dominated by rising property values and high-end retailers. Rather than promoting the people of a community to empower themselves, gentrification looks to kick the lower class out so the rich and white can dominate. 

“There is something about Black neighborhoods, or at least poor Black neighborhoods, that seem to make them irresistible to gentrification.”

The quote above is directly taken from a New York Times op-ed written by Michael Henry Adams that documents his take on gentrification in Harlem. He titles his piece “The End of Black Harlem,” signaling the major consequences that gentrification is bringing into his community. The reality is that gentrification seems to be targeted at poor black communities all around America in major cities such as New York, Washington D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, San Diego, and Chicago. In Washington D.C. alone, “more than 20,000 African American residents were displaced from low-income neighborhoods from 2000 to 2013,” The Washington Post reports. 

“A study by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition found that coastal cities had the largest number of neighborhoods that were gentrified from 2000 to 2013.” (The Washington Post)

And this—this ladies and gentleman—is where the title of this article comes into play. Gentrification is the dog-whistle. It is the hidden oppressor. It can be likened to that of a disease. It spreads and infects. It takes an individual body, full of life and culture, and deprives it of that same life and culture in order to benefit another purpose. Perhaps it is of economic interest and maybe it can benefit those who can actually afford newly renovated areas. But for those who can not—for those who tend to be black—gentrification brings no revitalization. Instead, it brings death. To fix this broken system is one challenge. But let us first begin by recognizing it.