Gentrification! What’s happening in our Black Communities and what is the Black Church doing about it?
Gentrification is a touchy subject for the black church. As urban centers become more crowded property values have risen, many black residents, now approaching retirement are lured into selling their homes and using that cash to buy a newer home in a more remote location where life is more relaxed the the hectic urban centers. But many of those homes are being bought by people non-black families. New urban whites, latinos, Asians, find the locations close to employment centers to be very enticing.
The irony of this cultural shift is that these neighborhoods were mostly white in the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s. But gradually shifted to mostly black residents in the 60’s-90’s, as the black populations moved away from their old locations. Blacks were not initially welcomed into these neighborhoods. Now, many Blacks do not welcome the new comers who are moving in today.
How will the Black Church plan for this continuing trend?