The Role of Food in the Gentrification of Harlem.
Gentrification is an issue that plagues low-income neighborhoods around the country but especially in New York City. The rise of rent and the lack of affordable housing has left many low-income residents displaced from our society. Many people know about gentrification especially the way it affects cultural food in the communities.
For decades, Harlem has been the area of cultural influence for New York City. However, the folks who attributed to the Harlem culture are being driven out of their communities by the openings of new food and supermarket chains such as Whole Foods and Starbucks. While these new additions to the community have provided access to more fresh, diverse food options, they come with consequences.
The “Whole Foods Effect” is a process in which homes near Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s have a significant impact on rent, “raising them 4.3% and 3.2% respectively,” as shown by a research study done by Real Estate Advisors. This same consequence is happening throughout Harlem.
In front of Whole Foods, there was a collection of activist artwork which protested the racism perpetuated throughout the country and spoke about the displacement of people of color from their own communities. This voices the frustration some residents feel in Harlem.
Most of the restaurants surrounding Central Harlem, specifically 125th, are not owned by Harlem natives. One of the more popular food restaurants in 125th, Harlem Shake, is owned by a white woman from Europe, not Harlem. High-end restaurants have now replaced most of the mom-and-pop shops surrounding Harlem with over-priced cultural food staples of low-income neighborhoods.
“It’s so crazy to see everything change so quickly,” said Ashley Park, a longtime resident of Harlem. “My favorite deli stores had to close out because of the rise of rent, and the ones that did stick around rose their prices super high.”
The Chopped Cheese sandwich is a famous stable throughout low-income neighborhoods and usually goes for less than $4. However, a new deli store named “Chopped Cheese” charges as high as $10 per sandwich.
More expensive and trendy drinks such as kombucha, apple cider vinegar teas, and green juices are being distributed in most stores around Harlem. The food distributed in these communities is slowly being changed into the taste palette of the urban white community of New York City while appropriating and capitalizing off of popular staples used in low-income communities.
One large contributor to the food gentrification in Harlem has been Columbia University. They have continued expansion more profoundly into Harlem, despite backlash from the local communities.
They opened up a new food hall next to their new science center in West Harlem, which could elevate food prices further and devastate the accessibility of fresh foods for low-income residents. While both of these buildings are advertised to be open to the public, a Columbia I.D is required to enter the premises. Luckily, a professor let me into the building using her I.D.
Havah Bernstein, a 19-year-old Barnard student, majoring in political economics and statistics, believes Columbia should work conjointly with Harlem. “I think it’s important to do more to give back and work with the culture instead of gentrifying or overpowering it; if Columbia has to expand, it should be a mutually beneficial process,” said Bernstein.
The entire 125th street that leads from the West Harlem Jerome Greene Science Center to Central Harlem is being renovated and gentrified with stores such as H&M, Banana Republic, and high-end restaurants. Columbia and its students are transforming the face of Harlem.
Overall, the issue of gentrification is going to continue to amplify as housing prices soar in New York City. It is up to both government officials and community alliances to combat gentrifiers and protect their communal identity and economic safety.
