Our Communities Are Dis- appearing
Gentrification is no longer just a buzzword—it’s a crisis. Across cities like Houston, At- lanta, and Washington, D.C., historically Black neighbor- hoods are vanishing—not because people are choosing to leave, but because they’re being forced out.
In communities built by Black hands—brick by brick, church by church, block by block—wealthy developers are buying up land, flipping homes, and driving up prop- erty taxes.
Pushed Out of What We Built
The result? Elderly residents on fixed incomes are being squeezed out. Families who lived in the same house for generations are priced into the streets. Our culture, our churches, and our stories are being bulldozed to make way for high-end coffee shops and rooftop patios.
Let’s be clear: revitalization is not the problem. Displacement is.
What Needs to Change
When policymakers approve luxury developments without protections, they are complicit in erasing Black legacies.
We need:
Rent control and property tax relief for long-time residents
Affordable housing mandates for developers
Education on protecting inherited land
Community land trusts to keep land in the hands of the people
This Is About More Than Rent
The cost of gentrification isn’t just higher bills. It’s the loss of Black identity, community, and generational wealth.
If we don’t act now, we won’t have to wonder what happened to our neighbor- hoods—because they’ll be gone.
We Must Protect What’s Ours
Let’s protect our spaces, our stories, and our people. Before it’s too late.
