B. Libre Kafele releases two books on urban development and Black communities

By AI, Created 5:22 PM UTC, May 18, 2026, /AGP/ – Political economist B. Libre Kafele has released two books examining how urban development, monetary policy and housing systems can shift costs onto Black communities and other marginalized groups. The books are now available online and Kafele says they aim to sharpen debate over economic justice in U.S. cities.

Why it matters: - Kafele’s books focus on the hidden costs of city development, including displacement, inflation and economic exclusion. - The work argues that Black communities and other historically marginalized populations often bear those costs. - The books add to current debates about housing access, wealth gaps and systemic inequality in American cities.

What happened: - Political economist B. Libre Kafele released two books: Capital in the City: Urban Development, Socio-Economic Inflation and Monetary Power and Who Pays for Development: Housing, Money and Power in American Cities. - The books are available for purchase at Kafele’s website and Amazon. - Kafele described urban development as progress that often comes with costs paid by working-class Black communities. - Kafele said those costs include displacement, inflation, economic exclusion and metropolitan extraction. - Kafele said the books reached No. 1 on Amazon in Urban and Regional Economics.

The details: - Capital in the City examines the link between monetary policy and urban growth. - Who Pays for Development looks at how the burden of development is shifted onto working-class residents, especially in Black urban communities. - Kafele says the books provide a fact-based analysis of urban development, monetary systems and housing policies. - The books are framed as showing how financial infrastructure shapes access to housing, wealth and opportunity. - Kafele holds a Master of Arts in Political Science from Rutgers University’s School of Graduate Studies, with a specialization in United Nations and Global Policy Studies. - Kafele is a magna cum laude graduate of Kean University, where he studied Political Science with concentrations in International and Comparative Politics and minors in Sociology and Africana Studies. - Kafele’s academic work draws on political economy, urban studies, sociology and history. - Kafele has lectured at universities, conferences and civic institutions in the United States and internationally. - His talks have covered state-building in Africa, U.S. economic policy, the history of the African diaspora and the role of economic systems in shaping inequalities. - Kafele has spoken at Kean University, William Paterson University, the Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations conference in Washington, D.C., regional conferences in New York City and the Southern Political Science Association conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Between the lines: - The books are aimed at readers tracking the economic roots of urban inequality, not just the visible effects of development. - Kafele’s framing links housing policy to broader questions of power, suggesting the costs of development are often distributed unevenly. - The release positions the books as part of a wider conversation inside the Black community about economic justice.

What’s next: - Kafele is available for speaking engagements, presentations and consulting. - Contact information includes barutilibrekafele@gmail.com and his website. - Kafele is also promoting the books through LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X.