Precious Uloaku Amaechi
Ms.Smith
African American Consciousness
Nov 16th, 2025
Final Draft 11/29
“Daddy, where did all the customers go?” I asked my father as he drove us home. We were both exhausted from working a 14-hour shift at a store named G & R Market. It resides in the Filmore District. It was my dad’s liquor store business ever since he immigrated from Lagos, Nigeria. Why is this significant? It’s not like we received many positive Yelp reviews. Most customers on the app were wondering how we still keep the lights on at this business, given the fact that Target, Safeway, and Best Buy were taking our profits big time. My dad didn’t have an answer to my question. Instead, he drove us home just like he’s supposed to. Everyday. The same freeway. As we were driving home, I noticed that the streets I was raised in started to look more unfamiliar each time I passed by. Every other street would have a coffee shop. I was never a coffee person. Without the sugar or added milk, it tastes lingering on my tongue, leaving a resentful aftertaste. I hated coffee and wondered why there seemed to be a new coffee shop on every block I entered.
Class was dismissed early for me in high school due to my participation in sports. I ran track & field, alongside my twin and brother, who also competed. We were all excited to leave school early to compete at Kezar Stadium. In my high school, most of the black athletes in various sports such as football, baseball, and wrestling, competed in track and field. Track and field was such a favorable sport because you didn’t have to be “Usain Bolt” level to get into the team. You just needed at least a 2.0 GPA and the drive to work out five days a week. I think the reason why the students in our school were so much into track & field was that it kept us in shape. As I entered the Kezar Stadium, I received a phone call from one of my track friends. We were both a part of the 4x1 relay team. We won the 4x1 race our freshman year and were back again to take over, until I received a call.
“My mom told me I’m moving,” she stated.
“What?” I asked
I don’t know if it’s just me, but everybody seems to be moving out of San Francisco. Was I missing something? Why would my track friend move out right when she was supposed to compete in track & field? I cried my eyes out until there were no more tears left. I felt torn and defeated. Based on what I was hearing on the phone, it looks like my track friend didn’t have much control over the situation. She followed whatever her mom insisted. There was nothing I could’ve done to prevent this from happening.
Gentrification is changing the lives of black and brown communities. It’s insane to me because African American and Indigenous communities built this city. They were originally known as the “Ramaytush Ohlone” before European Settlers stole the land. History is basically repeating itself. Gentrification negatively affects Black and Latino communities through displacement, cultural erasure, and a disproportionate effect on health. According to Science Direct, “Gentrification may increase the risk of severe maternal morbidity” (Xing, Gao). This quote highlights the effects of displacing minority groups for profit and the health disparities.
How does this all relate to African American consciousness? The truth is that African Americans had a culture in San Francisco before they were gentrified. It was known as the “Harlem of the West”. It was where Jazz music was booming and Black Businesses were thriving. Racism and discrimination were huge factors as to why this booming scene didn’t last. By the 1950s and 1960s, urban renewal projects set forth, displacing African Americans in the Fillmore District. Redlining would keep white people and black people segregated. It was a discriminatory, illegal, and biased practice that denied opportunities to minority groups. How does this relate to my dad and my track & field partner? The truth was that larger corporations were placed around my dad’s business to push him out. This action is rooted in racism and prejudice. My dad wasn’t the only one who sold his business. His best friend (who owned a liquor store business) also sold his store to another person, leaving the business behind them. My track partner, along with many other African American groups, is a clear example of racism and the effects it has on where you live. They didn’t just move because they wanted to; they moved because their rent increased significantly, and they had to move somewhere they could afford a livable wage.
In the film “Last Black Man In San Francisco”, the main character (Jimmie Fails) makes an effort to save his Victorian House he was raised in from becoming gentrified. His house was also in the Filmore District. He would, every so often, argue with his white residents. When they got evicted, Jimmie Fails saw this as an opportunity to move in, although he didn’t have a legal claim to the property. The house ended up being for sale for over a million dollars, soon realized that his grandfather never built the house. It was a lie told by his father, who tried for years to forget the reality of his displacement as an African American. This whole story is sad but very authentic to the reality of many African Americans. Systematic racism and gentrification are pushing out residents who’ve lived multiple generations in San Francisco. It makes you question the true root of your identity and sense of belonging. I hope this paper inspired you to study more about gentrification and the effect it has on Black and Brown communities.
Work cited
Gao, X. (n.d.). Neighborhood gentrification, displacement, and severe maternal morbidity in California. sciencedirect.com. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953623005531
Ohlone Land | Centers for Educational Justice & Community Engagement. (n.d.). https://cejce.berkeley.edu/ohloneland
Knorr, E. (2023, October 25). Ecotheology: The Last Black Man in San Francisco and the meaning of home. The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology. https://theseattleschool.edu/blog/ecotheology-film-review/
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