Gentrification in DC: Applying the Black Perspective
Gentrification in DC: Applying the Black Perspective
On Thursday, December 11, 2025 the Howard University School of Social Work hosted a virtual presentation, “Gentrification in DC: Applying the Black Perspective,” convening alumni leaders to critically examine housing policy, displacement, and cultural erasure in the nation’s capital.
The session featured Imani Hutchinson, MSW ’22, Research Analyst; Jesse Rabinowitz, MSW ’17, Campaign Director at the National Housing Law Center; and was moderated by Karessa Proctor, MSW ’22, Executive Director of NASW–Maryland. Together, the panel offered a disciplined and historically grounded analysis of gentrification through the guiding framework of the Black Perspective.
Presented by the Community Action and Policy Practice Concentration, the event was organized by Altaf Husain, Ph.D., MSW, Associate Professor; Associate Dean for Academic & Student Advancement; and Chair of the Community, Administration, & Policy Practice Concentration.
The presentation traced the trajectory of gentrification in Washington, DC from the 1920s through 2016, situating contemporary housing instability within a longer history of disinvestment, segregation, and redevelopment that has repeatedly displaced Black residents. Panelists examined the decline of historically Black cultural neighborhoods and connected those losses to present-day housing shortages, escalating costs, population growth, and constrained housing supply.
With more than 7,000 residents in Washington, DC lacking stable housing, there is an urgency of confronting housing insecurity as a systemic issue rather than an individual failure. -Jesse Rabinowitz, Campaign Director, NHLC, MSW'17
Through data, policy analysis, and historical context, the panel discussed how reinvestment efforts have frequently failed to benefit Black communities, instead accelerating displacement and restricting access to opportunity. Central questions guided the discussion: Who is most impacted by gentrification? Who benefits from these policies? Who is empowered—and who is rendered invisible?
Applying the Black Perspective, the HUSSW alumni panelist framed gentrification not as an unintended consequence of growth, but as a justice issue shaped by deliberate policy choices. The discussion highlighted how redevelopment strategies often prioritize wealth accumulation over human need, contributing to the rapid loss of affordable housing and weakening social cohesion, collective identity, and cultural continuity.
When we are looking at gentrification through the lens of the Black Perspective, we are not just talking about the change in the neighborhood, we are examining how systems of power are interacting with strength, cultural productivity, social cohesion, and the historical resilience of black communities. -Imani Hutchinson, Research Analyst, MSW '22
Collectively, the panel issued a clear call to action centered on structural change and civic responsibility. Panelists emphasized the importance of local and national electoral participation, legal advocacy, policy reform, and sustained partnership with nonprofit and community-based organizations working to advance housing equity. Driven by the positive, strength-affirming principles of The Black Perspective, the session provides a critical lens for understanding how cultural extraction and erasure operate within housing systems—and for identifying pathways toward reinvestment that preserves community, protects legacy, and meets basic living needs.
The School of Social Work commends the panelists and the Community Administration and Policy Practice Program for their contributions to this critical dialogue. Their work reflects the ongoing commitment of Howard alumni shaping policy and practice that center justice, accountability, and community well-being.
View the recording of Gentrification in DC: Applying the Black Perspective to continue the conversation.
Passcode: j0VK7.nV