Student Interns in “Up-And-Coming” Neighborhood Condemn Injustice of Gentrification

Emily Flanders ‘20, Sociology major and ENVS minor, says her summer internship provides real-world exposure to the problems of gentrification.

“It’s a big issue,” she says, nursing a lavender latte outside one of her street’s three third-wave coffee shops. “Young, mostly white professionals drive up rent in historically low-income neighborhoods. Longstanding businesses which can’t afford rising costs are replaced with trendy establishments which leave longtime residents in the cold.” She licks the almond milk froth from her lips. “Boy, do I love this coffee place.”

Lila Cook ‘20, a WGSS major with a “RESIST” Nalgene sticker, sips her vanilla nitro cold brew and agrees. “Once gentrification begins, developers push luxury apartments, tenants, and infrastructure which attract the professional class in even greater droves. It’s a vicious cycle.” After coffee, Flanders and Crook plan to buy kombucha at the neighborhood’s new Whole Foods, then meet friends for a social justice discussion group before an evening outdoor concert. “Two of our friends are ’19s finding apartments before they start work in August. We’re recruiting them to our neighborhood—they love the energy and amenities,” Crook says.

While “problematic,” the students say, cities offer opportunities—and not just for good coffee and live music. “I love my neighborhood’s diversity,” Flanders says. “I interact with people across race and class in a way I never did in my hometown’s white wealthy bubble.” She pays for a second coffee without looking the barista in the eye, then gives a wide berth to the homeless person on the sidewalk as she exits the shop. “And it’s great to see social justice issues firsthand.”

The pair were last seen e-scootering through the city’s new bike lanes with six-packs of kombucha to discuss an article about green space and displacement at the newly refurbished waterfront park.

-SL ’20