The Demographics of Millwood
“[Millwood] is not just a residential area, but also a cultural testimony,” says Lydia Yousief, the director of Elmahaba Center, an immigrants rights group based in South Nashville.
Nestled between the Nashville International Airport and Trevecca University, Millwood is sprawling with intersectional identities. The area is notorious for its rich history, vibrant culture, and synergetic immigrant community.
But the Millwood community is currently facing a displacement crisis.
From March to May, Elmahaba Center focused their research around The Blue Note, an apartment complex right off Millwood Dr., where they surveyed 80 households and documented the lives of hundreds of Nashville residents.
Their collected data revealed a set of demographics that alluded to the gravity of Millwood’s cultural significance, the looming shadow of gentrification over the area, and several reported instances of racial- and gender-based disparities.
IMMIGRANTS
Millwood serves as a center for many immigrants from different backgrounds, ranging from people of Guatemalan, Coptic, Somali, Mexican, Ethiopian, Salvadorian, and Honduran descent. 37% of surveyed tenants at The Blue Note spoke Spanish, while about 18% spoke Arabic. The other 45% spoke English, but, for many, it was not their first language.
In addition to the growing number of immigrants in the area, Millwood has harbored many family-run restaurants, shops, and bakeries over the years.
Immigrants’ occupation of this space served as a robust foundation for Nashville’s significant growth. These ethnically- and racially-diverse families and businesses are the ones that have sustained Nashville’s economic boom, promoted its tourist industry and supported its growing international airport.
According to New American Economy, a nonprofit, bipartisan immigration research organization, Nashville’s metro area had the fastest growing number of immigrant homeowners in the U.S. from 2014 to 2017, indicating how immigrants in Millwood are critical to sustaining large metro areas.
Additional research from New American Economy shows that immigrants in the Nashville metro area are more likely to “be active in the labor force, allowing them to contribute to the economy not only as consumers but also as taxpayers, helping fund social services and programs like Medicare and Social Security.”
DISPLACEMENT
Elmahaba Center’s survey results reveal how the new incoming and continuous influx of white developers, landlords, and lawyers have catalyzed the process of gentrifying and displacing the immigrant workers who have contributed to Nashville’s economic and residential boom.
This influx is presumed to be a result of Millwood’s proximity to Belmont University and Vanderbilt University, two private and predominantly white universities that typically bring in a wealthier demographic of students.
“I know that Millwood management knows that there will always be a new pool of immigrants to exploit in Nashville as long as Nashville needs a labor supply for all these new companies and infrastructure, and so their short-term game may be to exploit every penny from residents, while the long-term game is to gain enough profit to develop a white-appeasing condo system,” says Yousief.
Elmahaba Center’s canvassing team discovered many instances of long-time residents experiencing sharp increases in rent. One Somali tenant who had resided in the Blue Note apartment complex for over 10 years disclosed that her lease was expiring soon, and her monthly $700 rent was increasing to $1,200.
The average rent for a three bedroom apartment at The Blue Note is currently $1,889 — this high amount is especially problematic due to the large number of multi-generational households in Millwood that are primarily of Latine and African descent. Compared to surveyed tenants of other ethnicities, Latine tenants were more likely to be sharing their apartment with more than four people.
“Rent is increasing with no new amenities or quality. New expenses are showing up on lease. I don’t know when management will begin to consider razing Millwood to the ground and building condos for white people, but I know, for sure, they are abusing immigrants and refugees for profit, especially in a time when moving is difficult during a pandemic and money is tight for everybody,” says Yousief.
While increased investment and beautification efforts in an area can be positive, it can also lead to the displacement of marginalized communities. In communities like Millwood, long-term residents are finding that they are now unable to afford to live in their neighborhoods anymore, missing out on the economic positives of gentrification such as new investments in housing, increased access to healthier foods, more job opportunities, or increased transit infrastructure.
This hike in rent indirectly targets communities of color as well due to ongoing systemic racism observed in the U.S. According to the Brookings Institution, a nonprofit public policy organization, the racial wealth and income gap still exists today.
Measures of U.S. household wealth today reflect centuries of white privilege that have made it particularly difficult for people of color to achieve economic security — and residents of The Blue Note are primarily people of color. 75% of surveyed tenants in these apartments made $35,000 or less annually before the pandemic, signaling how a persistent increase in rent will continue to displace them.
DISPARITIES
During their canvassing sessions, Elmahaba Center’s housing team observed several disturbing disparities concerning language, gender and ethnicity.
Many tenants of color claimed that their rent was $100 to $400 more than other white tenants who were surveyed. Newer, white tenants reported that they were able to “negotiate” lower rent deals as compared to Spanish- and Arabic-speaking neighbors who had lived there for several months or years.
There were also observed disparities in the tenants’ relationship with the apartment.
One white tenant reported to management that they felt unsafe, and the next day maintenance installed a deadbolt in their apartment for free. Oftentimes, it takes days for other tenants of color to have their issues addressed by maintenance with the same consideration and urgency.
“One tenant that I know said that his oven was broken, so he called maintenance. Maintenance brought a new oven and that new oven combusted and started a small fire in the kitchen. This tenant is a father and his two little kids were at home when this happened,” says Yousief. “When he spoke to management that the second oven almost could have killed them and that it’s also now broken, management did not respond. So now he can’t cook or anything.”
There were other similar reports from tenants of color concerning how they tried contacting management several times about pests, faulty appliances, and unsafe conditions, but they received little to no help, implying that management is more willing to help white tenants who are “afraid” than tenants of color with more urgent and timely concerns.
Additionally, Elmahaba Center found that white men were often the ones who dismissed any safety concerns, whereas women of color were more likely to address the shootings, robberies, drug activity, and prostitution in the area. These women were also more likely to share their testimonies and experiences with the housing team, while the men gave shorter, milder answers.
“For me, the problem of white men not seeing the issue means that tenants can’t organize, especially when a good chunk of the tenants are like ‘well the rent is not bad for Nashville.’ That mentality hurts organizing,” says Yousief. “And also, when white women don’t see this community as one of beauty, they’re perpetuating the narrative of the scary ‘ghetto,’ though they are privileged and have chosen to live here versus the rest of the tenants.”
The set of demographics uncovered from Elmahaba Center’s canvassing team reveals the different factors that are playing into the displacement of immigrants in Millwood, as well as the dangers that white male residents pose by promoting their perspectives.
As the invasion of white residents with no cultural investment in Millwood rapidly grows, immigrants in the area continue to report how their narratives have become undervalued and their mobilization efforts for better housing conditions continue to be stifled.
“Displacement means we do not control any part of our lives — from the space we exist in, to the food we eat, to the wealth we’re creating, to the stability we want, to the schools and work we want, to the spaces and creativity we make. Displacement erases histories, cultures, and potential of wealth. [It] is a mechanism of control,” says Yousief.