Gentrification has emerged as a major threat to Black communities that have been centers of Black political, civic, business, economic and cultural development for generations. Gentrification has become a watchword signaling the displacement of Black people and Black culture. In short, gentrification is the “Negro Removal Program” of the 21st century.
In 1963, African-American author and activist James Baldwin observed that “urban renewal” is often the first step on the destructive path to “Negro removal.”