N, Donovan, White Flight White Return Essay

White flight White Return Essay.

Donovan N.

The poem white flight, white return! Located on page 20-21 of the Making it home book that was provided to us by SYEP officials, is one of my favorite poems/raps in the book. As a Native Washingtoninan this poem resonates with me on a personal level, As I have witnessed and seen white flight and white return firsthand.The main cause of white flight and white return that was not mentioned in the poem is the rampant Black on Black crime rate in the DMV, as well as the increasing levels of Gentrification within the former majority black inner cities. The line that was the most interesting to me was line 4, which stated the social conditions of white flight and gentrification, “ The white kids who live on the side of town.”

As a Native Washingtonian born and raised, this is a common theme and sight in Washington D.C. All of the shops from Northwest Washington to southeast(ward 4-8) are specifically predicated to the needs of its black residents, whereas all of the shops and stores from ward 1-4 are for the growing white population. I once took a drive from ward 1-8 and it was as if D.C was completely split in half due to white flight and gentrification.