The Excerpt What home means to people whose lives were reshaped by displacement
Dec 29, 2025
Suzette Hackney, a USA TODAY national columnist, dives into her impactful year-long reporting on displacement. She explores the meaning of home beyond mere structures, sharing personal stories of eviction and identity. Hackney discusses how institutional forces, such as eminent domain and tribal councils, strip people of their homes. She also touches on the impact of race on generational wealth, community resilience in the face of uprooting, and the appeal of Mexico City for Black women seeking affordability and safety. A compelling conversation on the fragility of home.
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Home Is Identity, Not Just Shelter
- Suzette Hackney frames home as identity, memory, belonging, and stability rather than just a physical structure.
- She shows that sudden loss of housing can upend those core aspects of a person's life.
Personal Eviction Sparked the Series
- Suzette recounts being suddenly displaced when her landlord decided to sell her Los Angeles rental.
- She used her resources to move, but the experience highlighted how abruptly housing stability can vanish.
Powerful Systems Drive Displacement
- Institutional systems—tribal councils, school districts, eminent domain—often cause displacement through formal decisions.
- Those systems strip people of identity and property with procedural ease and lasting harm.