In less than 15 years, Miami’s percentage of Black residents has dropped to almost half of what it once was.
Sea level rise around Florida’s coastline is causing coastal communities to move inland, driving up housing costs for the majority Black residents who already live there.
The struggle happening in Miami is not just about sea level rise. It shows how class and race often dictate who gets to survive as climate change worsens flooding for coastal areas.
Black Miami’s battle to keep their homes comes after decades of white developers buying up land from Black homeowners, converting homes into rental units, and pricing Black residents out of their own neighborhoods.
But in the absence of protections that safeguard living, residents are organizing to hold onto their neighborhoods and homes. Community groups such as Struggle for Miami’s Affordable, Sustainable Housing, Power U, and the Right to the City Alliance are building community land trusts, fighting evictions, and pushing for the city to adopt equitable climate and housing guidelines to shape development.
Climate displacement isn’t restricted to coastal communities. As climate change intensifies, researchers estimate that more people across the U.S. will be forced from their homes than the Great Migration.
Read more in this report from Capital B.
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Worth Revisiting
Protections with Abre’ Conner
Protections are essential for ensuring laws and policies safeguard both people and the environment.