MacDonough Street Update,Department of Buildings: “Stay Granted Through March 3″
Markowitz: Lauds Partnerships that Preserve Neighborhoods
Meanwhile, the community and Borough President Marty Markowitz are buoyed by ongoing community-agency partnerships to preserve the historic buildings that three weeks ago were slated for demolition.
Early yesterday, Markowitz told us he saw this new development as “a great example of how communities and government can work together for the benefit of all.”
He continued, “The residents, including 327 MacDonough Street, showed New York City how Brooklyn reacts when a crisis hits and I’m thrilled that the City’s Department of Buildings has approved plans to repair the buildings at 329 and 331. Through good old-fashioned neighborhood solidarity and assistance from the Landmarks Conservancy and the Historic Districts Council, the residents saved these buildings from being demolished. The neighbors of the Macon/MacDonough/Stuyvesant/Lewis Block Association and the Bedford-Stuyvesant community held their ground and would not budge from their mission to save these beautiful brownstones. Bravo!”
(To Be Continued)
In the Giving Season, Some Step Forward
November 25, 2009 by Bernice Elizabeth Green
Filed under Archive, At Home
Local “givers” in this photo took five minutes away from their work for this beautiful pre-Thanksgiving Day portrait, but as Michael Siekiem Kortom McKinney, 36 (left), said — and all here agree, “True giving is not about photo ops.”
Ironically there is no photo record of what each person accomplished over the last few days in tribute to this season of giving. But memories for the hundreds they are impacting, this season, will be fresh for many years to come.
From left, McKinney, a community-youth empowerment advocate who grew up on Lexington Avenue, gave away a hundred turkeys and bags of produce on November 18; Herbert Von King Park’s Neversee Davis, special events coordinator, and Charlotte Mial, volunteer culinary instructor, coordinated Von King’s annual afternoon dinner event for the homeless, working poor and neighborhood residents, complete with the Brooklyn Repertory Ensemble, a 16-piece orchestra directed by Wade Barnes and featuring star vocalist Tulivu and the presence of royalty, the elder Mama Amy Olatunji; Lisa Everett, director, Human Services & Community Development, NEBHDC, hosted and cooked- with the aid of Golden Harvest Food Pantry coordinator Frances Wright (unpictured)- Thanksgiving “wish-dish” dinners for area residents.
Volunteer Tara Talib (far right) is the face of countless volunteers, who show up, grab aprons and support feeding efforts in schools like CS21-Crispus Attucks School; soup kitchens like Bread and Life on Lexington Avenue; churches like First Corinthian Baptist, across the street from Von King (see photo, above right); and centers throughout New York City, then return to do the same in the fall of the next year.
But the story does not stop there. The folks in this photo met each other last Saturday (21), and have moved quickly to set up future working partnerships. After all, that is how community advocates thrive: they constantly think about what more they can do to support the community, and hurdle lack-of-fund challenges and cutbacks (as Von King has experienced for the first Thanksgiving in many years).
McKinney arrived early Saturday, before heading to work, to donate bags of potatoes and cabbage – left over from his Wednesday turkey giveaway — to Everett’s pantry and Von King’s kitchen. Those meetings quickly turned into discussions about future joint initiatives and partnerships, including McKinney’s offer of children’s books for Davis’ Von King Christmas toy giveaway. (So on December 13, Davis’ efforts to “push” knowledge first, play second for school-age children later will be reinforced by McKinney’s donations and keynote to parents).
Among other planned projects activated that day, McKinney and Magnolia Tree Earth Center Project Director Andrea Brathwaite will develop a motivational program for youth empowerment spearheaded by McKinney.
Generosity of heart and spirit, as martial arts instructor Master Sabu of the Humble Arts School of Martial Arts says on page 6, does not take a rest; it is ongoing, day-to-day, an art form.
Our Time Press applauds all who facilitated the success of these grassroots initiatives, including, among so many, the tireless Ms. Rachel Smith and family, Bruce Guarino of Guarino Sons, Restoration Corp., the Lafayette Avenue Builders’ Block Association, NEBHDCo.’s Golden Harvest Food Pantry volunteers Julia Whidbee and Betty Baxter, Miss Tammy, Mr. Lemuel Mial …
And that 16-piece orchestra truly worked the moment at Von King, evoking the meaning of the day with their controlled, moving version — and vocalist Tulivu’s poignant rendition — of Thom Bell/Linda Creed’s “People Make the World Go Round.” Also, Happy Thanksgiving Birthday to euphoniumist Kiane Zawadi!
- Bernice Elizabeth Green
Holding on to The Best Part of Bedford Stuyvesant — Its History, Humanity and “Hands”
Brenda & Wilbert Fryson of Chauncey Street -
We bought our house on Chauncey Street in 1974. A relative of a close friend lived on the block, and he made it possible for us to meet the owners, who were moving away. We wanted our daughter, Kenya, to grow up in a caring and nurturing environment, and we chose Bedford-Stuyvesant for that reason. Despite the relentless negative press, we knew that there were thoughtful neighbors, strong block associations, good schools, historic churches, active civic associations, and some of the most beautiful homes and apartment buildings to be found anywhere.
The house was a three family dwelling, and much of the detail was already gone. It was a perfect palate for us to experiment with contemporary interior design. With guidance from architect, David Danois, we set about the first major renovation, which involved opening the second floor to the roof; moving a staircase; building a raised platform, constructing a loft bed, and creating a ground-floor rental unit. The house is relatively small, and we had to find ways to take advantage of every inch. Wilbert (“Fry”) did much of the work after the large projects were finished. Perhaps the most compelling part of this phase in our lives was the help that we received from friends like Bernard Cooley, who helped with the dirty work of demolition and clean-out. George Glee, Jr., Bernard McDonald, Clarence Jones, and Reginald Shell were among that group, and the Brownstoners of Bedford-Stuyvesant, a volunteer civic association, was literally birthed in our backyard after one of those work sessions. During that time, we would work on each other’s houses, and then break for meetings that were held in the midst of busy toddlers, plaster dust and peeling paint. You see, it was about making a contribution to this wonderful community, even more than it was about renovating a house. We were fortunate to have great activist role models to follow… Dr. Vernal Cave, Lucille Rose, Montier Eason, Alma Carroll, Hattie Carthan, Joan Maynard, and Ruby Brent Ford (who was a guiding light in helping us organize the Brownstoners). Bed-Stuy Restoration Corp. was in its infancy, and was a visible and vital force in community development – rebuilding neighborhood pride at every level. Those lessons of “giving back” still remain the bedrock of the work of the Brownstoners – thirty-two years later! It was just the best time to live and grow with Bedford-Stuyvesant. The best part … the great friendships that grew out of this love of community, and which remain until this day.
Since those early days, we have done two more fairly large projects on our home…each one reflecting another stage in our lives. After Kenya left for graduate school, we opened her room to the adjoining bathroom and dressing room to create a comfortable suite. The loft bed, with its own set of stairs, was replaced with a floor-to-ceiling glass wall that now encloses a cozy bedroom. On the parlor floor, a new breakfast room is now our favorite spot for morning coffee, Fry’s crossword puzzles, and quiet dinners. Custom cherry cabinets, silestone counters, and stainless steel appliances were part of a kitchen makeover. Now, in our retirement years, we have updated the ground floor bathroom in Fry’s “man cave”, with a chair-height toilet and a walk-in shower, complete with grab bars. This entire floor can be converted into living space for the two of us when those flights of stairs become too much.
Needless to say, just about every room on the public floors in our home has played host to one meeting or another. Many times, in the hurried pace of my community work, Fry will cook a great meal, or give up his den for a “skull session” with this group or that. We are blessed to have both of our mothers still alive, and in their 90’s. As caregivers, we are learning that the love and support that we received throughout our lives, must be just as lovingly returned. We have so many friends who are experiencing the same situations, and we share resources and strategies. . We gloat over our three year old grandchild; we travel, and we try to take care of our health. We have our favorite eateries right here in the nabe…Sugarhill, Royal Rib House, and the new Mix-up Restaurant. We try to make time to catch the excitement at Jazz 966 as much as we can. This is Bed-Stuy, and we love it!
The house is here, but so is Chauncey Street. We enjoy “stoop-sitting”, and watching over the children as they come and go, just as our neighbors did for Kenya. We can smile about Kenya and Donine Carrington, who grew up on this block, and who are still good buddies to this day…one in Maryland…one in Georgia. They are just two of the many stories of our children, public school products all, who have gone on to make good lives for themselves.
Sometimes we look at the huge article from the New York Times, dated 1988, which hangs on one of our walls, and I chuckle. There are pictures of our families and homes and, of course, the expected tale of gentrification. Yes, we were “discovered”; we were declared “safe”, and folks moved to Bedford-Stuyvesant. Two decades later, we have been “discovered”, once again. I am hopeful that the strands of this community’s history; its struggles and triumphs, and the tenaciousness of its people in renewal and revival will not be lost in these cycles of “discovery”.
When Fry and I moved to Bedford-Stuyvesant, shops were owned by folks who lived in the neighborhood; property was obtained and passed down to the children; there was an unmistakable pride in who we were as an African-American community, and our churches, tenants’ groups in our public housing developments, block associations, and civic groups were all tuned into the needs of every resident. Undergirding those precepts was an understanding that forces of destruction (infiltration of guns and drugs, unemployment, ineffective schools, health disparities, decaying housing, and unscrupulous developers) had to be dealt with in the most aggressive ways, and people took the time and energy to fight for Bedford-Stuyvesant. Those times have come again, and the advantages and pitfalls should not be surprising. However, I fear that the extraordinarily high level of energy and commitment to continued revitalization – block association by block association, and neighbor by neighbor - that has been the cornerstone of our survival, is being lost in a new paradigm which subtly diminishes our values and rich culture; dismisses our institutions (public schools, community-based organizations, and civic groups), and marginalizes those residents who are determined to remain, amid rising housing costs. We need all of the new ideas, new drive, and hard work if we are to continue as one of the brightest jewels in this city’s crown of great, historic communities.
We helped to build NYC, and these next generations of hands are needed to sustain and enrich Bedford-Stuyvesant. We must heed the simple and powerful message left by the many awesome men and women who guided Bedford-Stuyvesant’s renascence … everybody can and must contribute something.
By Brenda Fryson
Fedrecia M. Hartley, Bedford-Stuyvesant’s Artful Home
Bedford-Stuyvesant’s Artful Home: When Fedrecia Hartley purchased her property several years ago she fulfilled three dreams: brownstone ownership in her Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood; the establishment of a home for exhibiting artists’ works, including her own; and creation of creative art opportunities for community building and empowerment.
Hartley is the Director of Zion Gallery and President and Co-founder of the Bedford-Stuyvesant Artists’ Association (BeSAA).
Hartley obtained her house in 1996, and opened her Zion Gallery in 2005. In this space, residents right here in the community can view art within the framework of a setting that is similar to their own, then acquire these works for their own homes. “It gives collectors a chance to see how the artwork will work in their houses,” says Ms. Hartley.
But the Hartley MacDonough Street homestead is more than a venue to display and sell artworks by famous local artists who live in the neighborhood. Ms. Hartley also hosts workshops for young students – preschool to high school; creates holiday-oriented celebrations, including last year’s Art and Vine mini-fest; presides over meetings for BeSAA, and blueprints major community events, like the recent Bed-Stuy Alive! festival of last October.
In the ground-floor entry hallway, she established the Small Works Gallery – a dedicated space for originals and prints that are 12 inches-by-12 inches or smaller. “As pieces are sold, more are added,” she says. Among the offerings are jewelry, handmade hats and small artworks.
A door on the right leads to the main room of the gallery – which has been home to works by such artists as Otto Neals, Gerald Jones, Olivia Cousins, Annette E. Brown, Halima Cassells, Ramona Candy, Pamela D. Jones, Rita D. Strickland and Maxine Townsend-Broderick.
Ms. Hartley’s major exhibitions have included: Honoring Men with artists Corey Lightfoot, Stephan L. Davis, Cornell Jones and Trevor Brown; Freedom’s Journey: Passageways Along the Underground Railroad featuring the photographs of Cousins, and an exhibition of the art of the Long Island Black Artists Association , among others.
“Zion Gallery functions to collect, preserve, study, document, interpret and exhibit community artists and beyond,” she informs visitors to her blogspot. “While these goals are common to many galleries, Zion Gallery distinguishes itself by emphasizing art’s historical, cultural and social contexts through experimentation and interpretation in workshops, art classes, special events and presentations.”
Fedrecia’s bold signature works, a mixed-media series entitled Urban Flowers, is easily distinguishable. She describes her art as “capturing the everyday beauty and strength that can be found blooming in corners of the vast urban landscape of New York.” This is an appropriate description of the home and gallery – a treasure in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Zion Gallery, located at 152 MacDonough Street, Brooklyn, is opened Saturdays and Sundays, 12 noon to 6pm (by appointment; telephone number is below).
On Saturday, November 21 during the smART Brooklyn Gallery Art Hop, an initiative of Borough President Marty Markowitz (www.visitbrooklyn.org), Ms. Hartley is helming curatorial duties at two galleries: Zion on MacDonough Street and George Washington Carver Gallery at the Magnolia Tree Earth Center, 677 Lafayette Avenue, between Tompkins and Marcy Avenues. Both Zion Gallery in Stuyvesant Heights and Carver Gallery in North Bedford-Stuyvesant will be two of the 69 exhibiting galleries. BeSAA is presenting the Fulton Art Fair artists at MTEC’s Carver Gallery in an exhibition entitled “TREASURES” featuring the works of Brent Bailer, Denzil Belisle, Bob Carter, Olivia Cousins, Bob Daniels, Diane Grazette-Collins, Rudolph Greenaway, Ruben Holder, Gerald Jones, Edward Martin, Dinga McCannon, James Mingo and Emmett Wigglesworth.
“Zion Gallery’s outreach Bedford-Stuyvesant’s “urban landscape” is a realization of the community involvement aspect of Ms. Hartley’s early dreams. “In extending Zion’s and BeSAA’s missions to all parts of Bedford-Stuyvesant, we are recognizing our community as a home for artists and a builder of artists,” she says.
For more information about Zion Gallery, BeSAA and Ms. Hartley’s other projects, at home and beyond, visit: www.ziongallery.blogspot.com and www.besaa.org. 718-919-8014
BROOKLYN RETIREES FIND SUCCESS IN EMBRACING LIFELONG PASSION: UPSTATE HERB FARMING
November 12, 2009 by Bernice Elizabeth Green
Filed under At Home, featured
He was a successful university dean; she was a prominent health professional. They both were entrenched in the comfort zone of a Crown Heights brownstone they loved.
Their labor of love is the Wellington Herb & Spice Farm “which sits atop a hillside” offering “breathtaking” views of the Catskills’ Schoharie Valley. Annually they have offered visitors from around New York State and beyond a place to visit their “landscaped gardens” and “pristine grounds,” fish in their ponds and shop at their 4,000-sq. ft. country store for garden products, antiques, collectibles, herb and spice products, and jewelry. They also have herb classes, tours for all ages, a wonderful high-end art gallery and Carolyn’s great teas and homebaked goods.
They are farmers now, but they also are part of a new generation of older Americans who are opting to fulfill their passions in “encore careers.”
When we asked them if they had considered setting up a bed-&-breakfast to complement the hugely profitable and well-trafficked business, Carol answered with a question: “Why?” The Wellingtons are where they want to be in life, doing what they want to do, living their lives far away from the maddening world albeit in the midst of the bucolic wilds.
For baby boomers who want more to do than what they are doing, and have the means to do it, the Wellingtons offer six points to consider before realigning those dreams to match star positioning:
• Define your life goals
• Be clear on your life priorities
• Know as much as you can about your career interest
• Create a personal road map
• Identify ways to work through the challenges and it’s never too late until it’s too late.
· Gardens are not made by singing, “Oh how beautiful” and sitting in the shade.
- Bernice Elizabeth Green
Publisher’s Note: The following story was written by an African-American artist whose work was presented as part of an African-American exhibit, “Black Dimension in Art”, presented during 2008 in the Wellington’s Art Gallery facility which stands adjacent to the shop.
Couple Keeps Vanishing African-American Farming Traditions
Strong, Profitable and Green in Upstate New York
Farming, once a proud tradition in the African-American community, is rapidly disappearing or gone altogether in the United States. However, the spirit limps along, buoyed by the tireless efforts of the older generation, who through community gardening try persistently to keep a grand tradition alive.
Recently, quite by accident, I encountered an African-American who is bucking the trend and succeeding in spreading the joy of farming/gardening to small groups of African-Americans who periodically visit his farm.
Dr. Frederick Wellington, an American of Caribbean descent, arrived in the U.S. in 1961 from the island of Grenada to pursue a course of study in veterinary medicine. He discovered only weeks before he began his studies that even with long hours of employment and his savings that he would not be able to afford the programs required. So with half of a soccer scholarship to Long Island University, he elected an alternative career path, hoping that he and his passion would be reunited at some point in the future.
He earned instead a Baccalaureate degree in Psychology, and Master’s & Doctorate degrees in Education. Along the way, he became a college dean and an Associate in Higher Education with the New York State Education Department with responsibility for the review of undergraduate and graduate degree programs. In 1998 and 1999, he played a significant role in the review of the new, higher teacher-education standards, and shepherded the entry of the fledgling and innovative “Teach for America” program into the state.
Now retired, Dr. Wellington with his Georgia-born wife, Carolyn, live on a 45-acre farm in the fertile Schoharie Valley region between the Catskill and Adirondack Mountains, after having restored the land from its former abandoned state.
Eighteen of those acres are now certified for organic production. Wellington’s Herbs and Spices, a business which the Wellingtons operate on the farm, sits on top of a hillside that overlooks this beautiful valley aptly dubbed the “Breadbasket of the Revolution” for the role it played in providing sustenance to the stalwart continental soldiers.
Dr. Wellington, now 70 years young, works as hard as a much younger man. He is motivated largely by his desire to see African-American and Caribbean communities consume more fruits and vegetables, and to choose whenever possible those that have been produced organically. Whenever he speaks to groups who visit the farm, his message is simple – “If your fruits and vegetables are not protected by a thick skin (i.e., banana) that could be removed, or by a shell, let your food choices be organic.” He especially recommends organic collard, mustard & turnip greens, lettuce, arugula, kale, thyme, mints, beets, scallions, basil and string beans. He also urges that people with the following conditions make organic choices:
· Pregnancy
· Parents of children 5 or younger
· Living with a compromised immune system
· Senior citizen
· Suffering from a chronic disease/allergies
· Have a family history of cancer
WHS is considered a very small producer in the grand scheme of New York State farming. Almost 100% of their crops are grown organically. When for reasons of climate or other influences they cannot grow an organic product, they exercise an unwavering vigilance in the selection of a produce source before they offer that product to their customers.
The largest crops grown by the Wellingtons are collards, hot peppers, basil, string beans, rosemary, mints, oregano, lemon-verbena, thyme, cherry tomatoes and leaf lettuce, but thyme is numero uno! During my visit to the farm, more than five thousand plants were being transplanted that day by a team of students from the neighboring SUNY Cobleskill College.
“Why so much thyme” I asked, “and who buys it all?” “Well”, he responded, “many local restaurants are looking for fresh local herbs and spices and as a matter of fact some chefs do come here and pick it themselves. As for capacity, we can produce less than one percent of the thyme consumed in New York State. Nevertheless, we try to produce even that small quantity because of the growing interest in organic foods. Most consumers don’t know that fresh green produce entering the U.S. is routinely fumigated to protect the U.S. Agricultural Industry from exposure to insects that may have hitched a ride from their country of origin. It is for the informed that we produce what we do to give them an option in the marketplace.”
“Food selection can no longer be a casual decision. Safety, security and combating chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes have become an important part of the equation.”
Wellington’s Herbs and Spices also sells a large variety of imported teas and herbal tea blends. For more information about the complete inventory of merchandise and service, visit their Web site: www.wellingtonsherbsandspices.com, now being redesigned to accommodate online shopping. E-mail: ginger@midtel.net, or telephone: 518-295-7366.
But when they decided to retire, Carolyn and Frederick Wellington didn’t hang it up. They went to work, joining nearly 9 million Americans between the ages of 45 and 70 who have reentered the workforce in recent years. But this second time around, they are in careers that are more personally meaningful and have social and far-ranging community impact.
EMBRACING TREASURES: THE ART OF SURVIVING
October 22, 2009 by Bernice Elizabeth Green
Filed under At Home
Our Time’s effort and intention was to help MXB antiquarians pick up business from the October 1999 “Come On Home to Bedford-Stuyvesant” Brownstone Tour. It did.
Polished Act: Dalton Taylor, proprietor of The Victorian antiques, on Tompkins Avenue, near Hancock St., in Brooklyn, NY, is an expert in woodstripping, repairing furniture, wainscoting, molding and more. and bringing new life to old furniture. "These day multitasking is essential for survival. If a small-business owner can keep the doors from closing, you're okay." photo/BLMason
Ten years ago, Our Time Press christened three blocks on Malcolm X Blvd., between Halsey Street and Decatur Street, “Antiques Row.”
Within two years, the corridor had extended from Anthony Smith’s Odd Things’ Collectibles at Decatur and MXB to Morton’s Antique Memories at the northwest corner of Putnam Avenue. Clarence Barber, veteran of them all, and Paul Tyner and Greta Niles, who rented a space inside Tyner’s place, across from Barber’s, enjoyed steady traffic.
Dalton Taylor’s The Victorian on Tompkins Avenue South, Ken William’s high-end Mercantile on the corner of Fulton Street and Irving, and Eddie Hibbert’s cave of a treasure chest on Myrtle, attracted collectors from all over the city.
All of the furniture dealers had a common goal: to keep business going, and to prosper.
Now only Mr. “C” survives on the original Antiques Row. Greta may be in Florida, site of her dream Antiques emporium. Tyner and Morton have not been heard from, although Morton may be residing nearby. Mr. Smith is retired to stately Savannah, GA, his Odd Things replaced by the high-scale Thompson’s Interiors – hardly a place, now, for stuff.
Taylor and Hibbert are still around, plying trade amidst salvaged architectural gems, from pier mirrors, painted wood mantles and victor-victrolas to brass hinges, old Ebony and National Geographic magazines, spinster’s diaries and framed photos of high school class pictures of the 50’s, and tons of other bits and pieces.
Business is slow. “All small businesses are suffering because of the economy,” Taylor told us. “Nearly 40 antique shops along Atlantic Avenue (site of 1999’s real Antiques Row) have closed their doors for good. If you can keep the doors from closing, you’re doing OK.”
Plus a lot of folks are accessing their shopping via the Internet and selling their secondhand things for first-class prices on Craig’s List. But these stalwarts are hanging in there. Not because they love the business.
The answer to why Taylor, Hibbert and Mr. C are still around walked into The Victorian last week. She asked to see Taylor’s doors. Turned out the doors he showed her were too small to fashion a 6-ft dining table out of one of them. Taylor advised that she visit Eddie Hibbert, where she would find exactly what she wanted. After all, Eddie is the door king. Particularly antique and old one’s.
Opening Doors: Eddie Hibbert's treasure trove on Greene Avenue@ Grand attracts antique collectors from all over New York. photo/Mark Stewart
“Eddie sends three to four people a day over to my shop,” says Dalton.
Small businesses are being forced to create commercial alliances to stay afloat. It commands integrity and respect and an understanding that sharing customers is the only way to go. “It’s a buyers’ market, and people are not buying.”
It doesn’t hurt, either, that Taylor strips furniture, makes repairs, refinishes and executes a range of other artisan skills, including wainscoting and crafting moldings. He knows that in today’s economy, it pays to be multifaceted.
Mr. C’s been a fixture on the avenue for close to 40 years, and admits that real estate investment and stock market tinkering has a lot more to do with it than the occasional sale of a rare, vintage mahogany mantle or a junked lamp.
Hibbert’s super-rare finds are stored in and sold from an open, easy-access warehouse situation at Greene & Gates, the heart of Clinton Hill’s brownstoner neighborhood. He oversees the work of a Class A wood-stripping team, and he is known for his almost-uncanny ability to “attract” great pieces of furniture and unusual finds – the kind you see oil-polished in House & Garden. Or that you used to see in the now-defunct H&G.
In 2001, Mr. Hibbert introduced us to Jomo Oliya, a cabinetmaker who said that antique dealers, “have a soul connection with nature, and with the builders and carpenters of the past. They hold a piece of wood. They understand it. They respect it. They know it was shaped from the heart. They have a special knowledge.”
Mr. Taylor shared “knowledge” about brownstones, the final havens for much of Hibbert, Mr. C’s and Taylor’s objets d’art: “They are extraordinary treasures. Like living within a work of art. And sometimes people fail to see that the beauty of them also is in the fact that they are always being fixed up, repaired, nurtured; they are living things. They were made when craftsmanship was king. They can never be replaced or built ever again.”
(Note: Please see Our Time Press Business Directory for location and contact information for The Victorian and Eddie’s Treasures.)
- Bernice Elizabeth Green
ENERGIZED STUDENTS IMPRESS COMMUNITY, CORPORATE LEADERS
August 22, 2009 by Bernice Elizabeth Green
Filed under Archive, At Home, City Politics, Greenprint For Change
Young visitors on tour of a Con Ed steam plant.
How many young people have seen the inside of a battleship, toured a utilities plant, met a bridge builder, developed a high-scale project, conferred with top-tier leaders in the energy field – all within the span of 6 weeks?
Thanks to a wonderful experiential program developed by the American Association of Blacks in Energy, New York Metro Chapter (AABE-NYMAC), facilitated and hosted by Polytechnic Institute of NYU and supported by National Grid and Consolidated Edison, fourteen of our brightest stars, ranging in age from 11-14, received that experience plus a jump-start on the future.
The Summer Energy Academy (SEA) for Children, hosted by NYU-POLY in Brooklyn, was designed to introduce our young people to the career possibilities that exist in the energy industry when they study science, engineering and technology.
The SEA commenced July 6 from 8:30am to 3:00pm and concluded with a graduation ceremony on August 14. The daily curriculum, taught by college students, included discussions of basic electricity, energy conservation, green technology, elements of NYU-POLY’s YES and I2E programs. Program highlights also included the development of energy-focused team projects, field trips and tours, and lectures by leaders in the energy field.
Earlier this year, AABE brought the idea of the SEA to NYU-POLY and that idea culminated in the successful graduation of fourteen students from AABE-NYMAC’s first energy- focused summer academy.
“This is a great accomplishment for the community, NYU/POLY, Con Edison, National Grid and AABE-NYMAC.” said William Suggs, President of AABE-NYMAC and Senior Specialist, Corporate Environmental Health & Safety Department, Con Ed. “We all pulled together and implemented an educational program on this level with talented children to help them begin a future in a new dynamic field to consider, explore and hopefully embrace.”
“Some students have never been exposed to the science, technology, energy and math fields,” says Ms. Beverly Johnson, NYU-POLY’s Associate Dean of Undergraduate Admissions and Executive Director of YES Center. “Many students are not turned on to STEM careers until the late high school years. But this program starts with students in the early years.
“We viewed this program as an excellent opportunity to work with our long-standing partners,” says Renee McClure of National Grid, adding, “AABE, Con Ed and Polytech, in not only educating our future generation on the energy industry, but also laying the foundation for our future workforce – what a winning combination”.
“These 14 students have made history. This is POLY’s – and Brooklyn’s first Summer Energy Academy,” revealed Suggs, adding, “And a special thanks to Beverly Johnson who helped to make this experience happen. POLY students and graduates served as mentors, facilitators and teaching assistants in the program, and were responsible for educating and directing SEA participants. Those young students saw college students who looked like them getting prepared to work in these fields.”
Tanzee Silver, an NYU-POLY graduate and now construction manager for the Port Authority, advised the students (who were separated into three teams) on their special assignment projects. She explained how they created a company, designed a 1600- square -foot home, and as part of the research component, designated a location for the home and presented a rationale for where they were building the home. “Utilizing Google start-up software, the students created 3-D models for the project which normally takes 13 weeks; the Energy Academy students completed their assignments in five.”
The teams were Solar Arrows: Jalls Civil, Sarah Semple, Dom Gill, Tyree White and Diamond Small; Con Energy: Elijah Addison, Ibrahim Jihad, Joshua Franklin and Daweet McIntosh; and Energy Savers: Kayla Brown, Sabrina Johnson, Brianna Suggs, Alyssa Venable and Victoria Wilson.
NYU-POLY Mathematics graduate Jonathan D. Williams, a SEA program facilitator, told Our Time Press, the program was “mind-engaging.” He said, “SEA students had fun learning about sustainability: urban greenhouses, increasing production, minimizing pollution and the effects of climate and weather change on the earth.”
Coran James of the NAACP noted that the event was a milestone. She said to parents, caregivers and educators in the audience that “the struggle” is not over. “Fourteen representatives of the future are here today. We want to multiply that by a million.”
To the students, she said, “You are standing on the shoulders of giants who are encouraging you to go forward. And if you need a role model, take a look at our President.”
Ms. Lima A. Jones of Con Edison, and member of AABE-NYMAC’s Scholarship/Education Committee, was the source for the idea and creation of the SEA. At the graduation, she praised the students for electing to spend their summer learning about the exciting career possibilities in the energy sector when they study science and technology. She also congratulated Sarah, Dom and Joshua for using what they had already learned in the program to conserve energy at home and to firm up college selections (Sarah is determined to attend MIT).
Councilwoman Tish James, moved by the students’ presentation and ardor for science, said she also was “blown away by the level of talent and skills.” Nereida Perez, VP, Inclusion and Diversity, National Grid, exclaimed, “You are outstanding! I can’t wait to see where you will be in the next few years. And remember, in the next few years, there will be major gaps to fill. We will need you to fill these jobs. I hope you pursue a career in the natural sciences, and participate in the energy sector.”
Ms. Phyllis White-Thorne, Manager, Public Affairs, Con Edison, who chairs AABE’s Scholarship/Education Committee, encouraged the SEA students to strive higher. “Modeling the courage, tenacity and perseverance of the AABE-NYMAC members, she said, they too can make their dreams come true.”
SEA mentors and facilitators were: Sarah Ahmed, Christopher Brathwaite, Maggie Castillo, Nadira Choudhury, Konstantino Dimopoulos, Kayami Facey, Philippe Laurent, Pedro Santos, Mr. Williams and Ms. Silver.
Members of the AABE-NYMAC and NYU-POLY team include: Albert Sanchez, Bill Suggs, Phyllis White-Thorne, Blondell Lighty, Lima Jones, Renee McClure, Dianne Fuller and Beverly Johnson.
