Who is the city’s blight plan for? What do people mean by economic development? How committed is the Philadelphia Inquirer to encouraging real dialogue about the kind of neighborhoods we want? The recent experience of ODUNDE, Inc. in our south central city neighborhood raises questions. “Growing pains plague an effort to spruce up the city,” trumpets the Inquirer headline for the article “Blight plan snags Gray’s Ferry Initiative” (January 10, 2003). These terms make it clear from the start that there will be no serious consideration of what gentrification means to long-term city residents, ordinary working people, and members of an historic African American community. Too often, “sprucing up” means removing people of color. And the so-called Gray’s Ferry “initiative” is merely one recent speculator’s plan to make a profit with no regard to the needs of long-time residents.

What is the future of south central Philadelphia? Is our neighborhood, one of the city’s most historic African American neighborhoods, to be sold to the highest bidder? What commitment to affordable housing and to long-term community stability and history are we, as a city, willing to make?

For 28 years, ODUNDE has been involved in our neighborhood. We have maintained a commitment to enhancing the culture of our city, and to cultural and community preservation through our annual festival and other year-round programs. Our festival draws 200,000 people and pumps 2 million dollars into the city’s economy annually. We have a history of community activism and responsibility: we have responded to gangs and urban violence, offered summer programs, convened anti-violence efforts, and worked with schools and community groups over the years in efforts to stabilize and sustain our neighborhood. In 1977, we first worked for affordable housing in our community. The three lots next to our current building had long been vacant and were declared unsafe and dangerous several years ago. ODUNDE took the initiative, pushing Councilwoman Anna Verna to have the city demolish these threats to public safety.
We plan to build senior housing on Gray’s Ferry Avenue next to our current building because we know that our senior citizens are in need and cannot afford to remain in the very neighborhood they maintained when no one else wanted to live here. We plan to build a cultural and historical center devoted to W.E. B. DuBois here because we know that our community’s historic African American past is being gentrified out of existence, and because we believe that Dr. DuBois’ work should be remembered, now more than ever.

About 100 years ago, Dr. Dubois lived in our neighborhood, and described it, the historic seventh ward, in his ground-breaking book, “The Philadelphia Negro.” Ironically, African Americans remaining in this historic community have become the invisible people. And Dubois’ insights, rather than being studied or valued, are ignored. It was DuBois who observed that “the problem of the 20th century is the problem of the color line.” DuBois saw the connections between race, class and exploitation. For long-standing residents of our south central Philadelphia neighborhood, $350,000 houses (such as that proposed for our street by speculator Rick Sparks) simply do not count as “affordable.” Here at ODUNDE, we believe that it is both fiscally and socially irresponsible to allow outside developers with deep pockets to determine the shape of our community and our future.

The generation who grew up and lived in south central Philadelphia were in many cases the first African Americans to challenge and break the color line. They were in many cases the first generation of homeowners: people who bought their homes for a lifetime and in the hopes of passing these homes on to their children. Our neighborhood has drawn strength and character from the commitment of such people who have chosen to stay in the face of whatever came. Pricing older residents out of neighborhoods disrespects their investment, denies that their life experiences are vital to our future, and drives away the very people whose long-time connections to this specific local community history and culture give our neighborhood vitality, distinctiveness, and integrity.

The gentrification occurring in our neighborhood would be no surprise to DuBois, who clearly articulated how institutional and structural racism work to destroy our communities. If we really want to think of ourselves as a city of neighborhoods, or as a city with history, we need to begin by preserving the cultural, historical and economic diversity that makes the city vital. ODUNDE stands ready to respond with affordable senior housing and a historical and cultural center that provide an alternative to the politics of profit and greed.

Lois Fernandez
Founding Director, ODUNDE