Dr. Jocelynne Rainey

Fern GillespieWhen Brooklyn sculptor Helen Evans Ramsaran returned to the Studio Museum in Harlem (SMH) for the unveiling of the new building, she was amazed. “I was just overwhelmed with the beauty of this space. The flow of space,” the 82 year-old artist told Our...

Reflections from a Brooklyn Changemaker Fern GillespieFor over 30 years, Colvin W. Grannum has been an influential and instrumental changemaker in Brooklyn’s nonprofits. Currently, the President of Flagstaff Clapham Group, his impact as the founder and CEO of Bridge Street Development Corp and former President...

Cheryl Todmann

Fern GillespieBrooklyn youth creatively learn the African Diaspora legacy dance and drum through Asase Yaa Cultural Arts Foundation’s School of the Arts. This artistic inspirational instruction encompasses history, arts, and culture for young people from ages 2 to 18. The school’s legacy of nurturing...

Fern GillespieAfter having a career as frontline activist that spans over 50 years, Bertha Lewis, founder and board chair of the Black Institute (TBI) and the Black Leadership Action Coalition (BLAC) in Brooklyn, will be retiring. For 15 years she has been heading these...

by Fern GillespieIn an era where federal arts institutions are cautious in exhibiting political Black culture that the Trump administration might deem “Anti-American DEI,” the National Gallery of Art has boldly organized an exhibition that explores the impact of the Black Arts Movement. “Photography...

Fern GillespieOur Time Press spoke to the leadership of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, the founding organization of Black History Month for insights on “Trump 2.0 Impact on Black Americans.” Leading Black History historians Dr. Karsonya "Kaye" Wise...

Fern GillespieThe Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture is under attack from the Trump administration as “anti-American.” Our Time Press spoke to the leadership of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, the founding organization of Black...

Fern GillespieWhen Monae Priolenau-Jones was appointed to a top leadership role at Brooklyn Community Services (BCS), it was like destiny. Her family have been Brooklyn residents for over 100 years, and she had a passion for community outreach. Now, she is Interim Co-President &...

By Fern GillespieHarlem is always on Voza Rivers’ mind. Born and raised in the heart of Harlem, Rivers has blended his love of the arts and his managerial skill to showcase Uptown as a leader in Black culture. Whether it’s his leadership at Harlem...

A Storyteller Raised by Harlem Renaissance Legends Who Lived a Novel Life By Fern GillespieThere are people who “live a novel life.” Then there are people whose lives are “better than a novel.” Abigail McGrath, founder of Martha’s Vineyard Renaissance House Retreat for Writers and...

Tracing Black Families Back to Slavery in Brooklyn Fern GillespieSlavery in New York City began 400 years ago in 1626 when 11 enslaved African men were brought here by the Dutch West India Company. By 1786, Brooklyn had 2,669 white residents and 1,317 Black people...

By Fern GillespieThis week, veteran NAACP official L. Joy Williams is traveling to the national NAACP convention happening in Charlotte, NC from July 12 – 16. Although she’s been a panelist and a NAACP National Board Member, this time she’s attending as the President...

Fern GillespieNoel Pointer burst on the music scene in the 1970s as a young brilliantly talented jazz violinist. The Brooklyn-born musician had studied classical violin at the High School of the Performing Arts and at the Manhattan School of Music. By 1982, radio stations...

By Fern GillespieWhen Cecil Bailey was 16, he became a mentor to other Black youths. He was a high school student in Far Rockaway and got involved with an after-school program teaching kids from middle school to high school how to play basketball. He...

Fern GillespieSome of the country’s leading Black innovators in tech from AI to ChatGPT to online gaming will be celebrating Juneteenth at the 2025 Juneteenth Tech conference at the S. Stevan Dweck Cultural Center at Brooklyn Public Library’s Central Library on June 21. Admission...

Fern GillespieWhen poet Kyla Jenee Lacey’s powerful spoken word performance of her poem “White Privilege” was shown in class by a Tennessee social studies school teacher in 2021, the poem became a lightning rod for White conservatives in fear of “Critical Race Theory” in...

Fern GillespieNew York City is considered the cultural capital of the world. However, for low- income New Yorkers taking a family trip to a fun famed New York cultural institution can be a financial nightmare. For 25 years, the Brooklyn based nonprofit organization, Cool...

Brooklyn’s Crusader for Homeownership and Football By Fern GillespieFootball and Real Estate have always been intertwined in Tywan Anthony’s life. He balances a longtime career in real estate as Director of Property Management & Real Estate Training at Neighborhood Housing Services of New York City...