Black Brooklyn Empowerment Summit Returns, Day One

By Mary Alice Miller
Two decades have passed since the original monumental summit took place in central Brooklyn. That summit produced an action plan that reverberates to this day: redistricting that created new opportunities for Black elected representation on the state and local levels, an increase in Black judges, targeted focus on health disparities in central Brooklyn, culturally competent education from kindergarten through college, mass incarceration, housing and home ownership, and commerce, particularly along commercial corridors.

Drs. Zulema Blair and Divine Pryor, original participants in the first summit, stepped forward to organize a second summit held at Medgar Evers College. The theme for this summit was Reaffirming Our Commitment to Justice, Equity, and Progress.

The Black Brooklyn Empowerment Summit II aimed to “foster generational wealth, economic mobility, and social justice while ensuring that Black Americans are fully integrated into the civic, economic, and political fabric of the nation.”

Honorable Annette Robinson and Dr. Roger Greene, powerhouse organizers of the original summit, shared their expertise and guidance to attendees, while expressing encouragement that the current summit could move Black New Yorkers toward a brighter future.
Ericka Keller, CEO/ Managing Member at BRISA and Angella Cummings, Executive Director and Dionne Christopher, Director of Property Management at NHS Brooklyn, led the discussion about the technicalities of building and preserving affordable housing and home ownership.

All acknowledged that $3,500 per month for a one bedroom apartment is out of reach for many people. Single room occupancies (SROs) still exist, but it is difficult to get a building under SRO designation, and are usually found by word of mouth. A newer version, called co-living, is more expensive, but can be found listed on housing apps.

AMI (Area Median Income) plays a role in constructing new housing where the cost to build is often more than projected revenue, especially when buildings are required to house a range of incomes. But mixed income buildings bring police presence and quality of schools attractive to higher income residents.

Tax credit programs help developers set rents that meet incomes.
Johnny Celestin, Senior Vice President M/WBE at NYCEDC, Osagie Afe, Economic Development Professional at Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, Stefanie Alleyne, Social Worker and Social Change Agent, and ShehilaRae Stephens, Executive VP of Equity and Community Impact at NYCEDC navigated a robust discussion about business ownership and economic development.

The panelists talked about how the economy has recovered and exceeded pre-COVID levels for every group except Black males. Municipal planning takes place 10-15 years before Black communities find out about it.

The New York City Economic Development Corporation is focused on economic mobility, M/WBE opportunity and procurement, workforce development, and diverse entrepreneurship. It encourages development to hire local.

Since 2016, NYC EDC has developed Construct NYC, a program that provides training to general contractors to give them skills to work with the city. Waterfront Pathways provides specialized technical assistance because building on NYC’s waterfront requires particular skills. And because many projects design, the EDC created Design-Build, which partners pre-construction architectural planning with construction contractors and trains them to work together. The city has found that Design-Build is faster and cheaper.

The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce provides free resources to business owners, including information on access to capital. Due to high inflation, high interest rates, and tariffs, lenders are hesitant to lend to small businesses.
Of 100 contractors that built Barclays, only on was M/WBE. Larger contractors have relationships with construction unions, so a solution could be for M/WBEs to form unions or partner with unions.

There was a detailed discussion about Community Benefits Agreements, with a focus on the JFK Airport redevelopment and Atlantic Yards.
CBAs creators should read the fine print, and should not agree to only city elected officials (Borough President and City Council member) to sign off on it because elections can change who is in those positions. Recommend that a task force is established to manage the CBA to maintain continuity over the life of the development and CBA.

In a workshop on criminal justice reform, Darren Mack, Co-Director of Freedom Agenda, discussed the 2015-16 campaign to close Riker’s Island. The campaign arose after Kalif Browder spent three years on Riker’s Island, much of the time in solitary confinement, for allegedly stealing a backpack. After Browder’s charges were dropped, he was released, and took his own life. Mack said “80% of people on Riker’s Island have not been convicted.”
Mack dispelled myths around the legally mandated closure of Riker’s Island by 2027.
High rise housing cannot be built on Riker’s Island because of the proximity to LaGuardia Airport. In addition, the island is sinking because it is a landfill and that landfill emits methane gas.

Mack said a plan under the Renewable Riker’s Act of 2021 would transfer management of the island from DOC to DCAS and create green, sustainable energy removing peaker plants from residential neighborhoods and place them on the island.

Day One of the Black Brooklyn Empowerment Summit focused on impediments to Black advancement. Day Two addressed solutions.