Before Gentrification

In "Before Gentrification: The Creation of DC's Racial Wealth Gap," author Tanya Maria Golash-Boza challenges the common misconception that the racial wealth gap in Washington DC primarily stems from Black families' inability to access homeownership. Through meticulous research and personal connection to the city where she grew up, Golash-Boza presents a more nuanced understanding of how systematic disinvestment and federal policies created and perpetuated racial wealth disparities that continue to shape the nation's capital today.

Contrary to popular belief, Black homeownership in DC increased between 1940 and 1970, with a five-fold growth during this period. This surge was largely facilitated by white flight, particularly following the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision that desegregated public schools. As white families abandoned neighborhoods and schools, Black families were able to purchase homes in previously restricted areas. However, this increased homeownership did not translate into wealth accumulation for subsequent generations.

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The critical factor that prevented wealth building wasn't lack of property ownership but rather systemic disinvestment in Black neighborhoods after white residents departed. As Golash-Boza explains during our conversation, when white families left, they took their businesses and tax dollars with them. Simultaneously, both city government and financial institutions withdrew support from these newly Black neighborhoods. Banks stopped lending to businesses in these areas, leading to the gradual closure of theaters, grocery stores, delis, and other community amenities. The result was stagnant or declining property values that prevented homes from appreciating significantly beyond the rate of inflation for nearly half a century.

DC's unique relationship with the federal government exacerbated these challenges in ways not experienced by other American cities. With 43% of DC land being non-taxable (owned by the federal government or nonprofits), restrictions on implementing commuter taxes, and congressional oversight of the city's budget, DC faced severe limitations on revenue generation while still needing to provide services typically handled by counties and states. The federal takeover of DC's prison system in 1997 further complicated matters, sending incarcerated residents to facilities across the country, creating additional burdens on families and complicating reintegration efforts.

The urban crisis of the 1970s and 1980s set the stage for even more devastating impacts on Black communities. As deindustrialization and suburbanization created a joblessness crisis particularly affecting young Black men, the introduction of crack cocaine in 1984 arrived at a time when schools were already failing and community programs had been defunded. Rather than addressing these root causes, the response was heavy investment in policing and incarceration. By 1997, a staggering 50% of young Black men in DC were caught in what Golash-Boza terms the "carceral net" – either incarcerated, on probation, or otherwise involved with the criminal justice system.

This mass incarceration further disrupted wealth transmission across generations. Parents who were incarcerated couldn't provide for their children, and many interviewees shared heartbreaking stories of losing children to gun violence while they were away. The intergenerational impacts of these policies continue today, affecting not just those directly involved but their children and grandchildren as well.

The final phase in this cycle is what Golash-Boza describes as "racialized reinvestment" through gentrification, which takes two distinct forms in DC. Navy Yard exemplifies "wholesale demolition" gentrification, where public housing was completely razed and replaced with new development, leaving virtually no trace of the original neighborhood. In contrast, neighborhoods like Petworth experienced a slower "housing rehabilitation" form of gentrification, with homes being flipped one by one – though often by the same set of real estate investors targeting what one agent callously described as "grandma's house."

Golash-Boza introduces the provocative but apt term "white reclamation" to describe this process in neighborhoods like Petworth, which were originally built exclusively for white residents (complete with racially restrictive covenants), abandoned during white flight, and then "reclaimed" generations later by white residents who could afford to return due to their accumulated advantages in education and wealth. This process often comes with troubling attitudes of ownership and dismissal of long-term residents' contributions to the community.

Make sure to check out the full episode to hear more on this topic from Golash-Boza and hear her recommended readings to check out after you get your own copy of "Before Gentrification: The Creation of DC's Racial Wealth Gap."