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The Role Of Gentrification In America

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Gentrification is the process of turning a working class neighborhood into a middle or upper class neighborhood by renovating old buildings then selling them to more affluent buyers. This has been pushing minorities, mainly African Americans, out of their homes and into less fortunate neighborhoods that they can afford. This happens all over the country but has been more common in the last 16 years, as cities population percentages grow the percentage of minorities seem to decrease. Housing in cities have dramatically increased for some reason other than there not being enough room for everyone moving into cities or are they trying to push certain people out such as african americans? In the book, This side of home, Maya and her twin sister Nikki experience Gentrification by her neighborhood becoming up and coming, this angers maya because of the opportunities given to white business owners instead of African americans who were denied loans from banker. As her neighborhood is developing new coffee shops and boutiques maya feels like her home is slipping away. Nikki feels the complete opposite, she's excited about the shops and her new friends at school that have greatly influenced her life. The book is a great representation of gentrification, many don’t know about this problem in America but many are experiencing …show more content…

I do believe some places are racist but most places are just trying to grow and make a profit off of this 21st century setting. I do feel many, like Maya, have the same feelings towards gentrification in cities everywhere. Before reading This side of home I had no idea this was happening in our country, this is a real problem and people should be paying more attention to the impact they have on a city if they’re considering building a new business or houses in diverse

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