By James Wright, Special to the AFRO, jwright@afro.com

Gentrification has defined the political and demographic landscape in the District of Columbia for the past 20 years. Some community leaders urge residents to try to control the spread of gentrification- such as a panelists at, “New Wave Voting: Gentrification & Riding the Tide of the District’s Changing Political Landscape” sponsored by the Ward 8 Democrats on Aug. 18 at the United Medical Center’s auditorium. Panama Jackson, a writer and blogger who resides in Ward 8, served as the forum’s moderator.

“I moved here in 2001 and this city was vibrant with Black culture,” Jackson said to the audience of 15 people. “Since that time there have been changes in the city and they have become noticeable. In 2001, Bloomingdale, located in Ward 5 was crime-ridden and was a place where you could get robbed.”

Kymone Freeman is a Ward 8 political and cultural activist. (Courtesy Photo)

Jackson said that is not the case now as Bloomingdale has been targeted for positive development by the District government and has had an influx of young, affluent and mainly White residents.

The forum was ignited by a lawsuit filed April 14 in U.S. District Court by Aristotle Theresa, a progressive attorney who lives in Ward 8, against the District government. The lawsuit alleges District policies and practices favor newcomers and those involved in the creative economy to the detriment of African-American working-class residents. On June 25, District government lawyers filed a motion to throw the lawsuit out.

Bernard Demczuk, a highly-regarded African-American history scholar, was a panelist at the forum. Demczuk said the young Whites moving into formerly Black established neighborhoods aren’t necessarily to blame for the gentrification taking place in the District.

“It must be understood that there are four waves that have occurred in this country regarding American cities,” Demczuk said. “During the early part of our country’s history Americans lived in small towns and villages, then there was industrialization where people moved to the cities and there was sub-urbanization that took place from the 1940s and 50s and now we are in the phase of re-urbanization. Cities are the place to go because there are jobs, diversity and opportunity. Young people aren’t the enemy.”

Kymone Freeman, co-founder of We Act Radio in Ward 8 and a political/cultural activist, also served as a panelist. Freeman said gentrification is the result of White racism. “People of color have been under 500 years of White supremacy,” he said. “Anywhere on this planet when you see poverty, you have violence but where there is affluence everyone is nice, and things are peachy.”

Freeman had a simple definition for gentrification which is “development with displacement.”

He refuted the narrative of displacement. “Just because they move in doesn’t mean that you have to move out,” he said. “There is a mentality that people with good jobs and incomes from the governmental and business sectors are the ones to follow and that isn’t the case.”

Freeman said gentrification is “cultural genocide” and “we have to stop it.” Demczuk suggested to Freeman that a citywide movement to end cultural genocide is formed to address the issue and Freeman seemed open to that idea.