Gentry-Phi-Cation

Written by Joshua Harris

Every so often in this overly saturated climate of microwave content, an artist emerges that can produce material that stands the test of time. Cue Poet, Writer, Activist, Roya Marsh, and her 2015 performance of her poem entitled, Gentry-Phi-Cation.

Absolute fire, and I’m not being biased — just ask the world renowned Nuyorican Poets Cafe, who tapped Roya to be the captain of the first all-female slam team in the tri-state area later that year.

Gentry-Phi-Cation is an enthralling piece that channels the aura of a Divine Nine probate, while drawing listeners into a world of humor, irony and social revelation.

Let’s break it down.

Although handprints of gentrification are clearly present throughout numerous major cities today, it’s been one of the most controversial subjects in the United States for nearly the past 50 years.

Gentrification, which generally occurs during a revitalization of city living, is widely and commonly associated as the opposite of white flight. White flight is a term that started to really pick up steam in the late 50’s when middle class white families migrated from the inner city to suburbs. Some historians would suggest that the real estate practice of “blockbusting” was an immediate catalyst for white flight, essentially changing the racial composition of neighborhoods when real estate agents facilitated blacks into buying homes in specific neighborhoods. Others argue that’s bologna, as many white families stayed put for long periods after blacks began moving into “their” neighborhoods. Either way, as large amounts of blacks moved into neighborhoods, the eventual white consensus was that it was time to bounce.

However, somewhere in the late 70’s something shifted financially, and the strategy of real estate reversed, as developers began the adaptive reuse of old buildings — Translation: they kicked in the door to restructure buildings in neighborhoods that had lower incomes. Why were they lower income? Because the majority of the residents — oh yeah, the black ones that they facilitated into these neighborhoods in the first place years earlier — had less income than the previous white constituents. Why did they have less income? Because of poor education and limited resources. Why did they have increased exposure to poor education and limited resources?

I can go on about this all day. And so can Roya, as she brilliantly weaves other intricacies of social injustices plaguing minorities into the conversation of how blacks have been displaced as a result of, or in connection to gentrification.

And yeah, my people are leaving. call it reverse migration, institutionalization, incarceration, or just plain murder. In any case, something dies.

Whether you think this is an implication that there’s a larger conspiracy connected to gentrification, or not, history has shown that brash tactics have been used in removing blacks from neighborhoods in the wake of revitalization.

Roya illustrates this picture with Basquiat like dexterity in just 2 minutes, showcasing a perspective that sheds a glimpse of light into why as much as we love caramel macchiato’s, we all recognize their significance when they start to pop up in neighborhoods that are predominantly black and latino.

For more From Roya Marsh, catch her on Lexus Versus and Flow airing on TVOne, October 22nd.

*For more pieces covering America’s continually evolving diversity visit our blog “Campus Colors”