Defending the Hood: Fighting Back Against Gentrification

Race Matters Defending the Hood: Fighting Back Against Gentrification Alejandra Melgoza, Gaby Hernandez, Jorge Cabanillas, Jonathan Gomez Facilitated by George Ygarza Thurs, May 9th, 6 PM Panel/MCC Lounge As inequality continues to grow all across the country, many communities are contending with the effects tech booms, new-age trends and progress. Those on the periphery understand these as euphemisms, disguising violent processes of displacement, marginalization and erasure. This panel will bring together members of various communities that have confronted gentrification as we discuss strategy while looking at the ways in which these local battles are part of a broader system. Alejandra Melgoza is a community organizer with Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE) working for tenants rights. Gaby Hernandez is a licensed clinical social worker and works with Chicanos Unidos fighting gentrification. Jorge Cabanillas is a member of Queens Neighborhoods United, a New York grassroots organization doing anti-gentrification work. Jonathan D. Gomez is a faculty member in the Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies at San Jose State University, and examines the racial, spatial, and gender dimensions of social space in the postindustrial city. George Ygarza is a PhD student in the Global Studies department at UCSB.