I had a conversation with someone about the gentrification that’s taking place in San Francisco. They talked about gentrification being a good thing if it’s development is controlled and spearheaded by the community instead of when it’s used to displace a majority of the people. I thought that was an interesting point and it made me think about it. It seems cyclical though.
In the past we’ve had the same situation. A lot of white people were living in the suburbs while the blacks were living in the city. And now the whites are moving back to the city and the blacks are moving back to the suburbs. I wouldn’t be surprised if later in the future the reverse interchanges again, where the whites are moving back to the suburbs and the blacks are moving back to the city.
Virginia Jourdan
Artist and Painter, Member of the 3.9 Art Collective