The Lost Face 

I live in one of the most segregated parts of the country, similar to San Francisco. As a White woman, and because of the accompanying privilege this brings, I have not had to live the negative realities of redlining and gentrification (among countless other systemic oppressions). Understanding redlining and gentrification as concepts is easy. The harder part is understanding the full consequences that individuals and families experience because of these.

The Last Black Man in San Francisco is part fiction, part documentary. Jimmie Fails co-wrote the film, and stars as…Jimmie Fails. Jimmie longs for the old Victorian home that he grew up in — the house that his grandfather built. However, this home is now in an overpriced, White, San Francisco neighborhood. Jimmie cares for the house (while the White owners roll their eyes at him) in such thoughtful detail that you would think it was a work of art. Jimmie’s family, his friends, and his community were all priced out of their neighborhood. Even more heartbreaking is they lost their homes, in some cases, because of the government-produced crack epidemic.