Nurah Speaks

Gentrification is a frequent topic of social justice conversations among academics, urban planners and social activists.  In short, gentrification is the upgrading of dilapidated property and deteriorated neighborhoods which often results in the displacement of lower income residents. Often, it is white and affluent suburbanites returning to cities after the white flight of the 60’s and 70’s when whites moved out of cities to outlying suburbs.  When whites left, there was also a major depletion of industry, jobs, property values and in general local investment.  This resulted in unemployment, poverty and spikes in crime rates. In this episode, I question if there was anything that Blacks could have done differently in urban centers to prevent the deterioration of our communities.  As we are now facing the reclamation of cities by middle class, affluent and mostly white investors, are we now being confronted with our own lack of action resulting in this current vulnerability? If you wou