The other night, my friend and I were talking about all the things you have to consider when looking for a new place. We listed the typical things like cost, neighborhood, distance to work, the trouble of packing, but then he added a new criterion to the mix: street name.
He told me a story of apartment hunting in Florida and falling in love with a newly renovated apartment that had everything he was looking for, except for one unexpected plot twist regarding the location. The address was on Plantation Drive.
“Could you live on a street called Plantation Drive?” He asked.
I hesitated for a minute, thinking living on Plantation Drive isn’t exactly the same as living on a plantation. But then I thought about having to give out my address and speak the words “Plantation Drive” on a regular basis and I agreed with his conclusion: “I can’t do it.”
Beyond having to utter the word plantation regularly as the place of my home, I said I’d also feel a way about my new “community” and the fact that, in 2017, they’d still allow a street to be named “plantation.” In fact, I realized that would probably be an even bigger determiner of my decision to pass than my previous reasoning.
Ultimately, my friend found a different place to call home and I’m pretty sure I would have too.
As a Black woman, would you live on a street called plantation drive?
The post Serious Question: Would You Rent An Apartment On A Street Called Plantation Drive? appeared first on MadameNoire.