COMMUNITY TO COMMUNITY: POLICY EQUITY FOR ALL
Dr. Mario Hernandez
Exploring Gentrification, Race, and Community Resilience Through Community-Centered Research
C2C Policy Fellow Dr. Mario Hernandez is an author and Assistant Professor of Sociology at Mills College at Northeastern University. His lived experiences paved the road which inspires his work today. His parents emigrated from El Salvador to the Mission District in San Francisco. Reflecting that his family and culture were not represented in mainstream education systems, he explained, “I was never into school, it was not my thing.” However, a transformative shift occurred in college, where his desire to teach and explore the disparities he witnessed was inspired by his experience growing up in a working-class Latino community. Dr. Hernandez recalls, “In community college, I knew I wanted to teach, and I always loved being in a space where all we do is investigate life and reality.” His educational journey at UC Berkeley and The New School, where he received his Ph.D., was pivotal, as he dove into the study of sociology, alternative government models, and ways of understanding social disparity. This academic exploration sparked his commitment to engaging community-centered research to support change in frontline communities – and a focused inquiry into the dynamics of race and place. Dr. Hernandez’s work emerges as a testament to the connection between academia and the lived experiences of urban communities.
Dr. Hernandez’s academic pursuits have been dedicated to the exploration of the impacts of gentrification and its intersections with place, land use, culture, race, and the history of neighborhoods. Delving into these converging fields, Dr. Hernandez and his research partner and Co P.I, Dr. H. Shellae Versey, Assistant Professor at Fordham University, have focused their studies and activism in communities that have been impacted by historic marginalization. Dr. Hernandez’s dissertation spanned eight years living in Bushwick, a neighborhood of New York City in the borough of Brooklyn. In his soon to be released book, Bushwick’s Bohemia: Art and Revitalization in Gentrifying Brooklyn (Routledge), Dr. Hernandez deciphers the interplay between gentrification, community resilience, and the often-overlooked contributions of local organizations. He shares, “The credit always goes to larger institutions and never to the organizations in the community.”
As a 2023 C2C Policy Fellow, Dr. Hernandez brings his expertise working with community organizations to new partnerships in East Oakland, including Homies Empowerment, a longtime community organization whose mission is to empower youth, cultivate communities, and support food justice. Their approach to building community power is holistic, as they provide food access from farms developed on vacant lots, mentorship programs, the FREEdom Store, the Freedom School, and more.
Rejecting a top-down approach that often characterizes academic research in urban areas, Dr. Hernandez emphasizes the importance of building social policy frameworks in partnership with community organizers. He reminds us that neighborhoods don’t need to be entirely managed or “fixed” from the outside. “Communities can use help from the city and NGOs, to be sure (some of the worst social problems come from being totally ignored) but the perception is often that people within the communities can’t or aren’t already creating the changes they want to see.” That’s the work his team is doing – highlighting the creative work of communities and then connecting them to other allies.
His vision for the future involves co-creating a hub where organizations may come together to share resources, best practices, and uplift solutions. Hernandez’s aspirations also include facilitating strategic community involvement in city planning. One of his transformative models involves investing in a young person for a year-long residency, encouraging collaboration between academic expertise, grassroot organizations, and on-the-ground community insights. For Dr. Hernandez, the culmination of his work transcends academia, expressed in his words, “What I hope to accomplish is to be honest and create a set of guiding principles where we can let the organization shine.” His vision encompasses connecting organizations to each other, promoting conceptual, long-term thinking. The hub would feature an annual symposium where city leaders, NGOs, and community organizations serve as a receptive audience, creating a space for dialogue and understanding. Overall, his work aims to bridge gaps in education, city planning, and community involvement, weaving a tapestry of collaboration and solidarity that resonates not just locally but on an international scale.
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