I've been thinking a lot about the overall failure of desegregation and some of the tenets of the civil rights movement. It seems crazy to me that after 50 years, we still have a lot of work left to do. There shouldn't have to be a Black Lives Matters movement. There shouldn't have to be a huge chasm of wealth between white and black people. There shouldn't have to be a prison industrial complex that depends on a higher than normal incarceration rate of black men. In essence, there is still a war being waged against black families.
This all manifests itself in gentrification. Or, more accurately, resegregation. Gentrification is the outward sign of resegregation. When I traveled through the United States in 2016, I saw gentrification happening in many of the cities that visited. The signs of gentrification are all too obvious: trendy shops like tattoo parlors, coffee shops, yoga studios, and small designer clothing establishments in what used to be considered fringe neighborhoods. Couple that with a white woman jogging through the "used-to-be-scary" neighborhood with her dog and that's all you need to know that people of color have been displaced.
A great example exists here in Oakland. The corner of 20th and Broadway had a dilapidated large building that used to house Sears. Across the street, you could find a used clothing store, a black-owned hair salon, and several deserted storefronts. The 19th Street BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) station entrances were located at the corners. There was no cover for the entrances. However, once San Francisco started to be too expensive for some tech startups. they started moving over to this area. The first big seismic shift occurred when Uber decided to buy the closed Sears building. New construction started happening.
BART covered up the entrance to the 19th Street BART station with a nice modern design. Coffee shops started to appear. One of the first coffee shops, called Tierra Mia occupied the old building across the street from the Uber building. More restaurants appeared. A townhouse/condominium rental building was built called Hive. That was followed by a lot of construction to build out their courtyard with other trendy shops. Prices of everything started going up and pretty soon, a rather expensive barbershop appeared. As a man, you could get a simple haircut for $45. That seems pretty outrageous considering that you can get a haircut for about $15 in East Oakland.
What I noticed was a domino effect for the rest of the blocks on Broadway near the Uber building. More construction was proposed down the street. Startups started to move to Oakland. However, they weren't immune to the cycle of gentrification. A startup that I used to visit that held Women Who Code sessions had to leave because their rent went up. I suppose that was in preparation for new tenants that the owner wanted to attract that could pay the higher rent.
All the while, people of color started to disappear. Uber backed out of the Sears building deal by selling it. It was quickly bought by a huge commercial real estate company. The renovations for the building are still on-going. But, the character of the street and neighborhood have been changed. I am hard-pressed to find establishments owned by people of color in the area. Disturbingly, there has been an exodus from Oakland.
Oakland is still considered to be a city of many cultures and people of color. However, as each day passes, may of them are getting priced out. It is ironic to hear people say that they have come to live in Oakland because of its diversity. I believe that in 20 years, that diversity will no longer exist. San Francisco is already less diverse than it used to be.
As I mentioned, gentrification is just an outward sign of resegregation. What is resegregation? It is the renewal of segregation. When given a choice, many people opt to stay and associate within their cultural islands. This has led to many schools once again being segregated by race and class. Increasingly, because of the wealth gap, many people of color have no choice regarding where to live, where to shop, and where to go to school. Because of that same wealth gap, white people have many more choices that they fiercely exercise. When they can afford it, they will place their kids in private schools or relocated themselves to more affluent neighborhoods. The United States has abandoned segregation efforts.
It's a shame. There is still a lot to be learned and experienced from each other. There is still a lot of work that needs to be done so that all people are included and considered in city development plans. There is still a lot of benefit to having a color-blind society. This can all be done, but it takes moral courage on the part of everyone to consciously consider choices. Collectively, we can't blame parents for wanting to choose the best environments for their children and for themselves.
This is all complicated stuff. It's not insurmountable. Unfortunately, we easily give up and don't actively think about it. Will it be too late to undo one of the legacies of racism? Let's hope not.
An excellent book that discusses many of the concepts that I have written about. Get it!