Background
Historically, the Central District (CD) has long been the residential and cultural center for the black community in Seattle. It is After World War II, the Japanese internment created vacant housing and segregation and racist housing rules in other areas converged to make a heavily black neighborhood. The Central District was the epicenter for the Civil Rights movement in Seattle. It is the birthplace of Quincy Jones, Jimi Hendrix, and the Jackson Street jazz scene.
In recent years, many African Americans have moved out of the neighborhood. Moving in, has been an influx of white people. According to the federal Census, 64% of the neighborhood was black in 1960. In 2000, the total black population shrank to 36%. Concurrently, median real estate prices are rising in the neighborhood.
Significance
Gentrification is nothing new. It happens in many cities and in many historically black areas. The District of Columbia, areas in California, and Harlem are all examples of this. Yet, gentrification of Seattle's Central District is different. The CD is the only historically black neighborhood in the city.
The concern with this gentrification is the slow death of this historical and cultural center. On average, African Americans have lower incomes and often face housing and lending discrimination. This, combined with rising real estate prices in the neighborhood have created unequal access to housing in the Central District. The whitening of the neighborhood is not happenstance.
Our Purpose
The purpose of this blog is to gather information about the changing nature of the Central District. We then hope to synthesize and present it to our community via this blog. We define the "community" as our class, our social circles, and all others who can follow our blog online. We imagine it would be especially helpful for those residing in the Central District. Our belief is that those who are better informed will be better equipped to act as allies for blacks facing these challenges in the Central District.
