After living in Nashville for almost 11 years, I have stumbled upon an underground or secret society of culture. For some of those 11 years, I was stuck in the same environments doing the same things and complaining about the lack of culture in the city. During that period culture might not have come close to what is happening in the city now. Others like me were seeking something different and relevant to their personalities and the desires of their soul. Because let’s face it, culture comes from a mix of hardships and soul. People develop creativity by expressing how they feel in many different fashions. Some people paint, sing, dance, graffiti, write or however they deem necessary. So, for someone like me, finding this secret society of culture in Nashville is great….. Except… gentrification could potentially kill what has become.
Gentrification is very big and in your face in Nashville. It is almost as if the city doesn’t care at all for diversity. Think about this, every article you have read about Nashville talks about how the city is the fastest growing but Nashville never makes any list for diversity or being a great place for People of Color (POC) to live, raise families, or work. The reason is that gentrification is not only a community killer but a culture killer.
Initially, I was good with some of the gentrification, it brought some better healthy living options, restaurants and cleaned up once dirty-looking neighborhoods. They should’ve just stopped there. I think we were all good with that. What happens to people like me who like SOME of the changes but want to keep their culture?
