Center for Brooklyn History

The Brooklyn Historical Society (BHS), in partnership with the Brooklyn Movement Center and Weeksville Heritage Center, will establish Voices of Crown Heights, a multidimensional project that will mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the August 1991 Crown Heights riot by exploring the history and future of Crown Heights. Grounded in the oral history concept of listening, the project will focus on unheard stories by exploring overlooked narratives in existing collections, and collecting new oral histories of previously overlooked populations. BHS will present these narratives on multiple platforms, including oral history interviews and workshops, a web-based listening portal, and podcasts. The project will address the need for listening as a vital tool for creating empathy and learning, noting the importance of critically examining history in understanding current events. Program success will be tracked through questionnaires, interviews, consultations, and reflective journaling by program staff to capture their work in relationship-building skills with the intent to model practices for community members' relations.