Issue 34: Nimbyism
Noun. The behavior of someone who does not want something to be built or done near where they live, although it does need to be built or done somewhere:
An aerial view of a Texas suburban neighborhood. You can see the roofs, front and backyards of several houses. Photo by J King on Unsplash.
Check-In:
The term N.I.M.B.Y. is an acronym for the phrase "not in my backyard." It is when residents are only opposing the housing/store/clinic/road, etc. because it is close to them and they would tolerate or support it if it were built farther away. The residents are called nimbys and their viewpoint is called nimbyism.
I heard the term nimbyism in Comedian Trevor Noah’s interview with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass for his podcast What Now? but it is a term that has been around for a while.
As Noah and Bass were talking about how this shows up in placing homeless in Los Angeles I couldn’t think about all the ways I have seen this happen. In Austin, there were legal objectives when the city planned to convert hotels to apartments to place the homeless. It is evident in the ongoing fights and now a lawsuit between Texas Governor Greg Abbott and NYC Mayor Eric Adams on the transport of migrants from the Texas state border. And don’t get me started on my neighborhood Facebook group that expresses displeasure every time an apartment complex is built near us threatening to “lower our property value.”
This quote from a 2022 New York Times article sums it up for me…“NIMBYs who used to be viewed as, at best, defenders of their community, and at worst just practical, are now painted as housing hoarders whose efforts have increased racial segregation, deepened wealth inequality and are robbing the next generation of the American dream.” Nimbyism feels like protecting and supporting white flight. Connected to redlining. All connected to racism….
Today, on MLK Day, I can only think about this excerpt from his 1963 Letter from Birmingham Jail:
"First, I must confess that over the last few years, I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in the stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Council-er or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I can't agree with your methods of direct action;" who paternalistically feels he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by the myth of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait until a "more convenient season."
There is a current generation of activists who have adopted new “backyard” acronyms to shift thinking about neighborhoods, communities and the intersections of housing, education and other institutions:
YIMBY, “Yes in my backyard”
PHIMBY, “Public housing in my backyard”
YIGBY, “Yes in God’s backyard”
As you think about the goals and aspirations of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on what would have been his 95th birthday, what is your acronym and how is it pointed towards justice?
#mondaymotivation: “…Nobody knows what it means to be a Negro unless one can really experience it and how we all have to battle with this constant drain of a feeling of nobody but in spite of this I think the vast majority of Negroes in this country want to be people, they want to be men, they want equality period…” -Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. , 1967 NBC Interview at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia
Interview with a Leader of the Global Majority:
***Please note: Becky is a White leader. I’m adding her interview today because I find it to be a nice compliment to the topic of “nimbyism.” ***
Becky is an equity director for a large school system in Massachusetts. The comments below are Becky’s and do not reflect the opinions of her school system.
Mary: Tell me about your role and scope of responsibilities?
Becky: My office is focused more on operations. We do work around preventing and addressing bias space incidents, including sexual misconduct. We do work around disability and religious accommodations. We do work around bringing an equity lens to operational issues. So for example, I'm very involved with transportation policy.
Becky: The office that I lead has existed since 1974, I am the sixth person to hold some variation on this title. I am the first white person to have this job.
Becky: I think it's a topic that keeps me up at night. For me personally, if I was on the hiring committee for my job, I would have preferred a person of color. On the other hand, I've been able to use my status as a white person to leverage certain things as part of a team where the other, I mentioned the other three offices, the other three offices are all led by a person of African heritage, various variations on the African diaspora. And I think some of the time at least, my colleagues view it as an asset, because I can do certain work with white people that they don't want to have to do.
Becky: I stick my neck out in certain ways because I'm like, "Go ahead, fire me because I'll be okay." Which is not always true for my colleagues of color. Sometimes they feel they can't take those risks.
Let me know if you would like to be interviewed and/or recommend someone to be profiled in this section.
What I’m Reading, Watching, and Listening To:
READING: My first book of 2024 was Ordinary Notes by Christina Sharp. In a series of short entries, Sharp talks about a range of current events topics as well as her grief of losing her mother and older brother. 5 stars! I was taking my own notes throughout. I’m now going back to read one of her earlier books, In the Wake: On Blackness and Being. You can find a full list of my book recommendations here. Please note that I am an affiliate with Bookshop.org and receive a small compensation for your purchase when you use the book links provided.
WATCHING: American Fiction is incredible! A comedy but with so many important messages about race, American culture, the publishing world, and family and it has an amazing cast. I usually read the book first but since it has limited screening in Austin, I couldn’t wait! GO SEE THIS MOVIE!
ALSO WATCHING: Newark, NJ has made a historic move to lower the voting age to 16 for its local school board elections. 16-year-old Newark students Nate Esubonteng and Breanna Campbell and President of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice Ryan Haygood joined MSNBC’s Katie Phang to discuss their role in getting the Newark City Council to lower the voting age. BRAVO!!! I hope other school districts take notice!
LISTENING TO: Highlighting again Trevor Noah’s interview with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. I learned about how government works in the city of Los Angeles versus the County of Los Angeles and how much bureaucracy works against supporting people at every turn.
Upcoming Events:
I will be in conversation with my friend and mentor Dr. John R. Jenkins on Tuesday, January 30th at 4 pm EST. John has been with me since my FIRST day as a principal, knows ALL of my leadership stories and it is always a good time when we are in the room together! You can register here: https://bit.ly/47WqDg5. If you are an EdLoC Member- Be among the first 50 to register and attend for a free copy of #leadingwithin
How to Continue to Support Leading-Within:
Go to Amazon and rate or review the book there! Reviews are a great way for others to see that this book is worth the time to read.
Post about the book on social media using the hashtag #leadingwithin. Even better if it includes a picture of you WITH the book!
Host a book club with your affinity/ERG group. Two study guides are also available on the ASCD website - one for leaders of color and one for white co-conspirators that are perfect for starting a group conversation. For book clubs with participants who have purchased and committed to reading the book, please reach out to me so I can support your journey!
Connect with me to speak to your organization or group about topics covered in the book, like ‘practicing love and rage’, ‘building a coalition’, and ‘taking a stand’.
If this is your first time reading, please go back and read my Introductions post.
Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think. If you like it, please share it with your network!