Gentrification: The Re-WHITE-ing of History
The process of renovating and improving a house or district so that it conforms to middle-class taste. This is what gentrification is defined as. Sociologist Ruth Glass created the term in 1964- a time where historic civil rights leaders were taking to the streets to protest racial inequality. It may not seem like a bad or detrimental idea to want to improve areas, but it is when you consider what it means to the many inner-city residents that it affects. With twenty-seven million entrepreneurs in America and counting, it is no surprise that more and more Americans are taking their careers and futures into their own hands and creating businesses and start-ups at an existential rate. Economically,
…show more content…
The store has been running for over sixteen years and has become a staple in the community. I took it in a manner and at an angle that would show the viewer(s) a view of the store as it relates to the context of the place and within the argument on gentrification. It is where most people in the area go to cash checks or grab a quick snack. Outside, people can be seen gathering and discussing their day. Men shake their friends' hands, women walk through the glass doors with their purses and hand, and children ride their bikes across the parking lot with another child riding on the handlebars. This is how things have always gone, except there is something very different now. Before, this used to happen to businesses that were started by people who live in the area, but now with the removal of locals, middle-class Americans are now the owners. Unlike the people who shop there and live below the poverty line and can not afford a car, they are able to live in better neighborhoods and afford luxury cars like Mercedes and Lexus. With scenarios like this becoming more and more evident, it will be interesting to see what the fate of the locals will be when it is decided that the land they occupy is more valuable than the dollars they spend faithfully at stores like