'All we need is more unity': Voices from Brownsville, Brooklyn
WNYC's Community Partnerships Desk regularly teams up with the nonprofit Street Lab to highlight stories from neighborhoods across New York City. We recently set up shop on Thatford Avenue in Brownsville, Brooklyn.
The transcript of the voices we collected has been lightly edited for clarity.
Daniel Fields: "I've lived in Brownsville for 62 years. What I really like about Brownsville is that we're trying to get a unity thing going on in Brownsville, and it's working because you see more young people asking more questions, like looking for a sense of direction. And so, what my purpose has been all this time is just trying to guide them in the right way. I came to realize that by giving instead of always trying to receive is where your blessings come from, like working a pantry on Saturdays. I see the people online. It'd be like 200 people, 300 people every Saturday at the pantry line because everybody's in need of something. I'm handicapped, but I'm never sitting down. I'm always out in the community trying to help anybody I can."
Gregory Gates: "The thing about Brownsville, all we need is more unity. I own a business right around the corner here. Unity means to me, about everybody coming together, black, white, it doesn't make a difference what color you are. That means participating in my community, not taking from my community, but giving back to my community. I come from an era when I was doing the things that these young brothers is doing right now, that I don't do no more, and I try to mentor them and show them, listen, that's not the way to go. I don't want everybody else to follow my footsteps and go to prison to realize that that's not what's going on. This is what's going on now in Brownsville. I'll be 61 this year. And it took me a long time to learn better. And I thank God for still being here to tell my story. And it feels good. I feel wonderful."
Olivia Martinez: "My story is I live here from 2001. And I never have problem with nobody. And my neighbors, they nice to me, and I nice to them. And I love everybody. And everybody's loving to me, like a family member. Family member, you know. They look after me, and I look after them. And we sit in here in the summertime, we talk, we have parties, we have fun, everything together."
Kwesi Johnson: "And I'm from Brownsville, Brooklyn. Right now, I'm the Communications manager at the Brownsville Justice Community Center. Part of my job requires me to capture events and programming, different things that happen in the community. I love photography. I love perspective -- being able to show mine and to perceive others, that's a really big part of my life. It doesn't really feel like work. You know, I get to show people themselves in real-time. There are a lot of perceptions of Brownsville based on its history. The pictures that I've been able to capture kind of show that other side of Brownsville. It shows resilience through all the things that we've been through and constantly go through; it shows like a community that cares. I just think people need to learn to tell their story. I feel like everyone's perspective kind of contributes to the overall narrative. And if we're more aware of our differences and similarities, they can kind of bring us together in a more genuine way."
Jestine Roper: "I've lived here almost all my life. It's a beautiful neighborhood. And what is so great about it is that it's like very hospitable. I'm the president of the community garden named Jes Good Rewards Children's Garden, it's a very active garden. The community really loves the garden. At this time, it is beautiful with all the tulips, and the daffodils, and the crocus. Brownsville loves it. This garden has been the subject of people trying to take it over and put housing here. But we all come together, and we have saved this garden, and I'm so dear to Brownsville because this community does help out, and it loves the garden."
