Gentrification

In 1919, for example, a mass wave of racial violence tore through American cities. Although sometimes described as “race riots”, implying mutual culpability, these were mostly invasions of black spaces by white vigilantes hell-bent on black oppression. These vigilantes were often motivated by economic issues, particularly their fear that competition from black workers would reduce white employment and wages. They killed hundreds of black Americans. The grisly event came to be known as the “Red Summer.” … [Read more...] about In 1921, a white mob burned ‘Black Wall Street’ down. We still feel that legacy today

“Berlin has no financial sector to speak of, no super-rich areas, and I hope it won’t ever be as attractive as a luxury investment object,” says translator Katy Derbyshire, who has been living in Berlin for 19 years. “But I’m starting to hear stories about buildings where many of the flats are uninhabited second homes, especially in the East, where a lot of public housing was sold off a few years ago.” … [Read more...] about The housing trap: how can Berlin avoid following in London’s pricey footsteps?

As a child she battled a speech impediment, but the poet spoke with power, clarity and poise on the steps of the US Capitol on Wednesday - just two weeks after a violent mob laid siege to the seat of America's government with Confederate flags, pipe bombs and a noose. … [Read more...] about Who is Amanda Gorman – the young poet who captivated America during Biden’s inauguration?

But the jokes are creatively complex too. The one about role-playing “gentrification” and “the living wage” by way of marital foreplay; the intense snorting reaction produced when her husband tells her she’s beautiful – these are jokes that wander far from their original premise in search of rich and inscrutable laughs. … [Read more...] about Maria Bamford: Weakness Is the Brand – a comic totally in command

However, some of the actions meant to help low-income residents – like moving people out of flood-prone housing – raise questions of gentrification. For example, a public housing neighborhood called Tidewater Gardens will soon be razed to make way for a mixed-use project. The Norfolk city councilman Paul Riddick feels that the initiative is yet another example of urban gentrification that excludes non-white contractors, and of the generational transfer of wealth. … [Read more...] about ‘They chose us because we were rural and poor’: when environmental racism and climate change collide