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Losing Roots

“I smiled at the familiar feeling of returning home. In the seven long years since I last

visited the island, everything had changed.” Changes are good when they do not disrupt the life

of an entire culture. Gentrification has been a problem affecting thousands of families and

communities around the world due to wealthier populations, but not everyone is aware of it.

Although it may seem like it is no longer a problem, the reality is that it is still present. However,

how did it all begin? And why does it keep happening? Powerful companies have arrived in low-

income countries to expand, generating profits in a government that does not prioritize its people

and exalts the rich. This special treatment displaces families, takes away opportunities and destroys

cultures

Sometimes, the wave of immigrants to a place is not just due to people liking living there,

but also to labor issues at large companies looking to expand. According to Elisa Oviedo in her

article "Gentrificación y Segregación Como Secuelas de la Recuperación de Antiguas Plantas

Industriales," when companies create new jobs in low-income areas, the government prioritizes

wealthy and professional people to live there, while displacing poor families to "revitalize" the

area. Instead of offering jobs to people who need them and improving their lifestyles, the

government prefers to help those who already have jobs, neglecting those who need to earn a living

for their families.

have been caught up in a change that could leave their country in oblivion in the future. Gabriela

Rojas-Lebron explains the changes in prices and culture experienced in her work published in

ReVista, "Many of these investors who move to the island, or choose to invest from the mainland,

buy and remodel properties, eventually reselling them at substantially higher prices.” Gabriela also

mentions that Puerto Ricans believe their island will no longer be for locals, but for tourists. Places

where English is spoken instead of Spanish have become more common, even when someone

speaks Spanish, the English speakers ask for English so they can understand. San Juan, the city

most affected, has transformed its daily life as a Puerto Rican into a city where even the colors are

in another language. Foreigners who come to change customs do so without even integrating with

the locals and destroying their music, homes, and traditions.

Now, if all this is known, is it because it has already happened? Hawaii, a state in the United

States, is known for its luxurious hotels and dream beaches, but the reality is that it is a clear

example of gentrification. This state, famous for being the most expensive in the United States,

was once inhabited by the Kanaka Maoli, an indigenous people originally from this island, but

who now find themselves displaced in their own land. Just as it has happened there, it is also

happening in different countries and in the United States itself. A study conducted by Stanford

University reveals that Philadelphia is going through this, and like Hawaii, its minorities are

suffering. “Looking at the city of Philadelphia, Hwang and Ding found that financially

disadvantaged residents who moved from neighborhoods that were not predominantly Black

benefitted from gentrification by moving to more advantaged locations, but those moving from

once predominantly Black areas did not,” says Sandra Feder, author of this article. The ethnic

groups that suffer these injustices the most are people of color, Indigenous people, Asian
Americans, and Latinos. This article shows how minorities benefit by moving to neighborhoods

where the population is not Black, while in places with people of color, they do not benefit.

Furthermore, their residents suffer more gentrification due to displacement. Since ancient times,

white people have seen themselves as the most powerful compared to other ethnic groups, which

is why they decided to take control and find peace, but today, although it may not seem like it,

they are still those who want to take control by "renovating" a low-lying area for their benefit.

Although a stronger culture threatens the other, both can coexist if a mutual agreement is

reached. A paper published by ONU-Habitat gives a solution, "Another solution is to retain the

existing population and its social fabric through housing improvements and carefully structured

social programs for traditional income-generating activities that keep conscious planning efforts

under control and appropriately channel them." This solution provides a way in which natives

would not have to move from their homes and would have government protection, making the

phenomenon of gentrification work on their side. In addition, by having two cultures in the same

place, they could share and create a new one. But this does not guarantee that all affected places

will receive the necessary help and that both cultures connect, so it continues to be a problem for

minorities.

Returning "home" after a long time and finding something different in its place devastates

the hearts of those who left. Gentrification could be a process that helps others by offering them a

better quality of life without affecting their current one, but the masses have decided to take

advantage of this and eliminate people from a place that does not belong to them. The displacement,

the rising cost of living, the disappearance of culture, and the exclusion of a community

demonstrate why this phenomenon should be taken more seriously and make people think about
how to help those affected. People fight for land that does not belong to anyone, but what if there

was someone there before they said it?

Feder, Sandra. “Gentrification Disproportionately Affects Minorities.” Stanford Report, Stanford

University, 1 Dec. 2020, news.stanford.edu/stories/2020/12/01/gentrification-

disproportionately-affects-minorities.

ONU-Habitat. “El Fenómeno de La Gentrificación.” ONU-Habitat, ONU, 11 Nov. 2022, onu-

habitat.org/index.php/el-fenomeno-de-la-gentrificacion.

Oviedo, Elisa. "Gentrificacion y Segregación Como Secuelas de la Recuperación de Antiguas

Rojas-Lebron, Gabriela. “Gentrification in Puerto Rico: The Impact on Displacement and Local

Livelihoods.” ReVista, Harvard University, 24 Oct. 2024,

revista.drclas.harvard.edu/gentrification-in-puerto-rico-the-impact-on-displacement-and-

local-livelihoods/.