report – Memphis Flyer

TDOT

A recent study showed that from 2000 to 2013 six different census tracts in Memphis were gentrified.

The report, “Shifting Neighborhoods: Gentrification and Cultural Displacement in American Cities,” was released last week by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC), a grassroots organization that works to create opportunities for people to build wealth.

The NCRC identifies gentrified neighborhoods as areas with lower incomes and home values that see new investments and amenities, leading to increases in median home values, educational attainment, and income levels.

The study assessed the educational level and economic status of residents, and the value of properties in the neighborhood at the beginning of the census period, then assessing changes in the next U.S. census.

In Memphis, gentrification largely took place in census tracts in zip codes 38105 and 38103 Downtown, as well as 38107 in North Memphis, 38106 South Memphis, and 38109 near the state’s southern border.

Over the 10-year period, the combined average household income in the five neighborhoods increased by about $14,000. The total percentage of residents with a bachelors degrees also rose by more than 50 percent.

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“Gentrification is a powerful force for economic change in our cities, but it is often accompanied by extreme and unnecessary cultural displacement,” the report reads. “As these rising costs reduce the supply of affordable housing, existing residents, who are often black or Hispanic, are displaced.”

“This prevents them from benefiting from the economic growth and greater availability of services that come with increased investment. Gentrification presents a challenge to communities that are trying to achieve economic revitalization without the disruption that comes with displacement.”

Though the study found evidence of gentrification here, it did not report any cultural displacement during the time period surveyed. This means that no population of a single race group in any of the neighborhoods decreased by more than five percent.

In Nashville, the study sites that between 2000 and 2010 there were three neighborhoods that underwent gentrification. But unlike in Memphis, one of the three areas saw cultural displacement with close to 14 percent of the black population moving out during that time period, while the white population almost tripled from 501 to 1,345.

Meanwhile the median home value nearly doubled from $82,800 to $191,400 there.

National Community Reinvestment Coalition

Number of areas gentrified in American cities

Across the country, of the 11,196 census tracts the study looked at, 1,049 tracts or about 9 percent of them saw gentrification and in 22 percent or 232 of the areas, cultural displacement was also evident.

Washington, D.C., saw the highest levels of gentrification, followed by San Diego, New York City, Albuquerque, and Atlanta.

A 2018 white Nationalist rally Downtown Memphis

The number of hate groups in the United States rose by 7 percent in 2018, according to a recently released report by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).

In its yearly report titled “The Year in Hate: Rage Against Change,” the group said there are now 1,020 active hate groups in the country, up from 954 in 2017. The SPLC defines a hate group as one having “beliefs or practices that attack or malign an entire class of people, typically their immutable characteristics.”

Tennessee is home to 36 of those groups, including neo-Confederate, neo-Nazi, White Nationalist, and Black Nationalist groups, according to the report.

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In Memphis, there were six active hate groups last year — Black Nationalist groups Great Millstone, Israel United, New Black Panther Party for Self Defense, and Nation of Islam, as well as the neo-Confederate group League of the South and the White Nationalist group The Right Stuff.

Although nationally the SPLC reports that the number of hate groups has risen by 30 percent over the last four years, the number of groups in Tennessee has seen a slight, but steady decrease since 2015. In 2015, there were 41 hate groups in the state, 38 in 2016, 37 in 2017, and then 36 last year.

SPLC

Number of hate groups in U.S. over time

However, in Memphis, the numbers have been following the national trend, going from four groups in 2015 to six in 2018.

The SPLC also found that White Nationalist groups nationwide surged by almost 50 percent last year, increasing from 100 chapters in 2017 to 148 in 2018. Meanwhile, the center found that Black Nationalist groups have also been more prevalent, growing from 233 in 2017 to 264 last year.

This trend has been apparent locally and statewide. From 2017 to 2018, the number of White Nationalists groups in Tennessee went from two to four. In Memphis there were no active White Nationalists groups in 2017, and then in 2018 one group, The Right Stuff became active.

At the same time, last year the number of Black Nationalists groups in the state went from six to seven and from three to four locally.

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The report attributes the rise in the number of both groups to Donald Trump’s presidency.

“Most Americans are now fully aware that Trump is emboldening white supremacists and helping to grow their ranks,” the report reads. “An October poll by the Public Religion Research Institute shows a majority believe Trump has “encouraged white supremacist groups.”

The SPLC also cites that the U.S. Census Bureau’s projection that by 2044 white people will no longer be the majority in the United States “helped propel hate to a new high last year.”

Read SPLC’s full 2019 report here.