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Jamal Clayton Robinson: Making an IMPACCT in Brooklyn Community Development

Editor, Our Time Press
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Jamal Clayton Robinson: Making an IMPACCT in Brooklyn Community Development

By Fern Gillespie
When Jamal Clayton Robinson was appointed Executive Director of community development nonprofit IMPACCT Brooklyn, it was due to the impact that he had made in his career spanning community development and real estate as a JPMorgan Chase executive to his leadership role as a captain at West Point.


For 62 years, IMPACCT Brooklyn has served as a community development nonprofit with a mission to eradicate housing insecurity. Its mission is to strengthen neighborhoods through racial justice, housing, community development and economic opportunity. IMPACCT Brooklyn advocates for Bedford Stuyvesant, Clinton Hill, Crown Heights, Ocean Hill-Brownsville, Prospect Heights and Prospect Lefferts Gardens.


Robinson’s interest in affordable housing and community development began while working at JPMorgan Chase in Community Development Banking and
Commercial Real Estate Development. Pratt Area Community Council was a client. “I learned the affordable housing and community development spaces when I worked on an affordable housing deal for the Pratt Area Community Council,” Robinson told Our Time Press.


Last September, he saw the impact of that deal as Executive Director of IMPACCT. “I did the Ribbon cutting for 778 Myrtle,” he said. “It was the very deal that I was working on at JPMorgan Chase for Pratt Area Community Council. It was a complete full circle moment.”


“It’s allowing folks to have the opportunity to live somewhere and have a roof over their heads. At 778 Myrtle it’s a mix of 60 affordable and supportive housing apartments. At a range of different affordability levels,” he said. “That fact that it is supportive housing within the affordable housing ecosystem means that much more. We have our social services team there helping residents get back on their feet. There are formerly homeless individuals as well. To see people have an opportunity and the right to housing to live is everything to me”


What makes IMPACCT Brooklyn unique as a community development corporation is the nonprofit has the staff to build affordable housing as a developer. It has a social services team that can also occupy and work in that building. Other services include social services, community organizing, tenants’ rights, economic development, financial literacy, foreclosure prevention, energy retrofits for homeowners, small business development, housing lottery training, and home ownership counseling.


“With the home ownership services, we are providing not only financial literacy in general but also financial literacy for home ownership,” he said. “The First Time Home Buyer Program is headed by Pat Julien, who has been with the organization for over 20 years. She has a knowledge and depth in helping folks in Central Brooklyn.”


“Housing affordability is such a problem and an issue for everyone,” he explained. “But, specifically, we’ve lost a lot of Black residents in Central Brooklyn. In 2010 it was 77 percent. Now, we are at about 41 percent. The demographics are changing. We want to help keep our residents from leaving Brooklyn.”


The motto for IMPACCT Brooklyn is Build, Restore and Preserve. “In this moment in time, we had to have a focused mission moving forward,” he said. “We came up with a strategic plan on a mission based on what IMPACCT has done and what it can do on an excellent level. That is to build, restore and preserve quality housing and educational services to keep our residents rooted in Brooklyn.”


Excellence was a word nurtured by his parents. Robinson grew up on the East Side of Cleveland. “It was a drug environment,” he recalled. “Back in the late 80s and early 90s, a drug epidemic was going on in inner cities. I knew something was wrong. I knew that wasn’t normal.”


“My parent were very clear. They said: ‘We can’t afford college. You have to be excellent academically and physically to get a scholarship to go off to school,’” he recalled. “I thought it was a harsh thing to say to an 11 year-old. But, I’m glad they did.”


In high school, he wanted to be a leader and looked at careers and colleges with leadership training. He sought out West Point. “My guidance counselor told me that inner city kids don’t go to West Point. That was deeply profound and did something to me,” he said. “I decided that’s where I wanted to go.”


No one in this family had served in the military. As a West Point cadet, he discovered academic and leadership capabilities. “It was a moment of a lifetime that shifted my perspectives,” he said. “It was grit, ambition and prayers. West Point taught me how to be a leader with character and lead with integrity.”


After graduating from West Point, he served in the Army. Later returning to West Point as a captain. He served as a Company Commander, a top management position working with cadets, officers and staff. While working at JPMorgan Chase, he returned to college earning two master degrees at NYU—a Master of Public Administration in Community Economic Development and Masters in Real Estate Development/Finance.


Real Estate is part of Robinson’s family legacy. His grandfather moved from Alabama to Cleveland and was a real estate investor in the 1940s. “He was one of the first owners in the neighborhood to use home ownership and he rented to other folks in the community,” he said. “I learned early on that you can make a social and economic benefit from real estate.”
“I wanted to go to IMPACCT Brooklyn so I could serve this community.

But, I could serve in a way that I could bring my whole self, my leadership capabilities, my community development and finance background,” he explained. “That I had the audacity to believe that I could work with individuals at legacy organization like IMPACCT to affect change. For me that’s not work. It’s showing up who I am.”
For more information visit: www.impacctbrooklyn.org

Family Photo Album for Bridge Street Church, A Living Legend in America for 260 Years

Editor, Our Time Press
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Family Photo Album for Bridge Street Church, A Living Legend in America for 260 Years

With roots established 10 years before the birth of America, historic Bridge AWME Street Church located at 277 Stuyvesant Avenue in Brooklyn, celebrated 260 years of dedicated service to the Downtown and Central Brooklyn communities, last Sunday, February 22, 2026.


The theme, this year, revolved around “Celebrating a Great Past, Building A Greater Future” with pastoral leaders Rev. David B. Cousin, Sr.; Rev. Valerie E. Cousin, executive minister; the church’s long roster of Bridge Street officers, including the ministerial staff, the Board of Trustees, evangelists, deacons, senior and junior Steward Boards and stewardesses paying homage to the Bridge Street ancestors, the established living legends of today, and young people who are carrying the church’s legacy forward.


Highlights of the event included inspirational performances by the choirs, musical selections by The Next Generations Youth Choir and the One Voice, One Praise Choir; the memorial tribute to 10 saints who passed during the year; the awards recognition of the church’s outstanding youth for their “Aspire and Founder’s Day” submissions; the rousing speech by guest speaker Dr. DeForest B. Soaries, CEO of DFREE Financial Freedom Movement; a special presentation by Greg Anderson, President & CEO, Bridge Street Development Corporation; and the moving annual Living Legends Pinning ceremony spotlighting those monarchs who reached age 80 and still serve.

During this special “Pin” moment, Evangelist Carolyn Faye Simmons, Bro. Percy E. Weathers, Sr and Dr. Robert Jay Williams, Jr., Ph.D, MPH were pinned by, respectively, those who were honored last year, Deloris Canty, Paul Wallace and Alonzo Graves.


Bridge Street, one of the nation’s few faith institutions with two distinct histories, AME and AWME, was graced also by the presence of dedicated leaders and pioneers in their own right, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (Dem-NY), NYS Attorney General Letitia James, Brooklyn Deputy Borough President Kim Council and Assemblymember Stefani Zinerman (D56th-Dem). All were introduced by community matriarch, Hon. Annette M. Robinson, a Brooklyn living legend and long-time member of Bridge Street.

For more information, visit: www.bridgestreetbrooklyn.org

Bed-Stuy Made Presidential Candidate Jesse L. Jackson

Kazembe Batts
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Bed-Stuy Made Presidential Candidate Jesse L. Jackson

By Jeffery Kazembe Batts
IG: @kazbatts
We know that Black history is world history and it is timeless, but we can still respect the time designated by Dr. Carter G. Woodson as “Negro History Week” back in February 1926 and then officially expanded by President Gerald R. Ford into “Black History Month” in February 1976.

One hundred years after the founding we remember Black people’s glorious history of creating art, culture, and science. New ancestor Rev. Jesse Jackson’s life includes working with many historical personalities like the great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela. But when it comes to presidential ambitions then Bed-Stuy made Jesse.

A provocative statement, maybe. Chicago, Jesse’s long-time base probably would object to this claim, but follow the connections. During his two Democratic primaries Central Brooklyn voters flooded the polling sites helping Jesse to win the city, although not the state.

Brooklyn delivered not only votes but also advice, logistics, money, resources and experience to assist in spreading the growing chants of “Run Jesse Run” nationwide.


Brooklynites like elected officials Albert Vann, Annette Robinson, Velmanette Montgomery, Roger Greene, Ed Towns, and activists Jitu Weusi, Rev. Herbert Daughtry, Sonny Carson rallied their resources to boost the Jesse for President campaign while the Harlem established political leadership at first supported Walter Mondale and did not back the radical, insurgent Jackson campaign.

Bed-Stuy Restoration Plaza, House of the Lord Church, Bethany Baptist Church are some of the sites where enthusiastic crowds of old women, young men and all, gathered to see and hear the uplifting message of “I am somebody” and “Now is the Time”.

During the summers of 1984 & 1988 Rev. Jackson’s spirit could be felt as you transversed a neighborhood filled with campaign posters and local leaders serious about making change. Bed-Stuy was not new to this energy. Ten years earlier Shirly Chisolm, the first Black woman in Congress, representing Bed-Stuy, ran the first major presidential campaign for president of the United States by a Black person.


When future candidate Rev. Jackson, with his large Afro, was the featured speaker at the 1972 Black Political Convention (BPC) in Gary, Indiana, Congressperson Shirley Chisolm was upping the ante by running for president. Nonetheless she was not invited to speak at the BPC because of sexism and political in-fighting.

Nonetheless back in Brooklyn people were excited because the “Unbossed” Ms. Chisolm was encouraging community consciousness and developing structures that others would build upon later.

With the election of Assemblyman Al Vann, Senator Annette Robinson, Congresspersons Ed Towns, Roget Greene, Major Owens within the Coalition of Community Empowerment, Central Brooklyn and Bed-Stuy in particular, had a formidable and capable operation hat was ready to support a more robust Jesse for President campaign.

Al Vann became State Campaign Director for Jesse’s campaign. Rev. Herbert Daughtry, travelled with Rev. Jackson when he went to Syria in January 1984 to successfully negotiate the release of U.S. Navy Lieutenant Robert O. Goodman Jr.


NYC is America’s largest city. In the 1980’s Central Brooklyn was the largest continuous community of Black people in America. Back then you could walk from East New York all the way to Downtown Brooklyn without missing the presence of Black people in what today are gentrified neighborhoods.

Bed-Stuy in the 80’s hosted the African Street Festival at Boys & Girls H.S, the revolutionary Slave Theater, a thriving Restoration Plaza business and event center, Spike Lee & Mike Tyson loudly representing the hood, Majid Al-Taqa & Concord Baptist Church giving spiritual blessings, people relaxing at Von King Park, or strolling through the busy Nostrand & Fulton intersection.

Bed-Stuy was uniquely situated to assist a Black man vying for the American presidency. Black people were the strongest constituency in Jesse’s Rainbow Coalition and Bed-Stuy was the strongest community delivering votes and organizing capacity. Jesse Jackson never won the presidency, but he changed the rules.

No more “winner take all” after Jesse’s campaign. Proportional representation for delegate allocation is part of Jesse’s legacy. This new formula allowed for Barack Obama to win the democratic party nomination twenty years later in 2008.


Shirley laid a foundation. Al built on it and led Jesse’s campaign. Jesse changed the rules that made it possible for Barack to win the presidency. Jesse walked with Dr. King, met with Yassar Arafat and Fidel Castro, was friendly with Nelson Mandela, led boycotts of corrupt corporations, and much more.

When it comes to his presidential campaigns one can argue that if he had not done well in the NYC primary, his candidacy would have faltered and history would be different. Future mayor David Dinkins was convinced he could win after seeing Rev. Jackson’s vote totals in 1988.

Dinkins did win and become the first Black mayor of NYC in 1989. Sankofa, look back and move forward. Study the past and build the future.

A Strong Finish: From Barclays to the Draft Lottery — Brooklyn’s High-Stakes Summer Begins Now

Eddie Castro
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A Strong Finish: From Barclays to the Draft Lottery — Brooklyn’s High-Stakes Summer Begins Now

By Eddie Castro
The second half of the Brooklyn Nets’ season has kicked off, and it is a forgone conclusion that Brooklyn will not make the playoffs this season. In a year where there were few expectations as far as the postseason goes, the priority this year was to improve from last year and develop players like Egor Demin, Nolan Traore, Drake Powell, Ben Saraf, and Danny Wolf. Those were the five players the Nets drafted in the first-round of last Year’s NBA Draft. Those players along with veteran players such as Nic Claxton and Michael Porter Jr. Could very well lead the franchise into the future.


As expected, the Nets were quiet during the trade deadline. They did acquire a few role players like Josh Minott from the Boston Celtics, Ochai Ajbaji from the Toronto Raptors and Hunter Tyson to go along with a 2032 second-round pick from the Denver Nuggets. The big move Brooklyn made was waiving sharp-shooter Cam Thomas.

The team was hoping to at least receive draft compensation for Thomas, however, opposing team had little interest in sending a draft pick(s) in exchange for Thomas. He eventually signed with the Milwaukee Bucks for the remainder of the season. The question surrounding Thomas is never his offensive abilities. He is one of the most exciting and explosive offensive players in the league. His defensive ability on a consistent basis is the attribute that comes into question often.

Thomas will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season at age 25. According to various sources, Brooklyn was listening to offers for Porter Jr and Claxton but no deal came into fruition. The team was looking to at least receive first-round picks in return.


The Nets currently have a win-loss record of 15-41 which marks the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference. The team is expected to be in the lottery for perhaps a top-tier player in this year’s draft. The draft lottery will be in May and that will tell us exactly where the Nets will pick this coming summer.

This year, the draft will feature probably the best freshman class ever to come out, with players potentially coming out such as A.J. Dybansta (BYU), Darren Peterson (Kansas) Cameron Boozer (Duke), and Caleb Wilson (North Carolina) to name a few.

Overall, this could be one of the deepest drafts we’ve seen in a very long time. Brooklyn currently has one first-round pick and two second-round picks in this year’s draft to go along with a projected $36-50 million in cap space to perhaps land a top-tier free agent to an incredibly young roster.

Coach Jordi Fernandez knows he has his work cut out for the rest of the year, but if Brooklyn can strike gold with a high lottery pick and can lure a top talent free agent to pair with Porter Jr. and Claxton to go along with the young core in place, the rebuilding window to compete in the East will be a lot closer than expected.


Sports Notes: (Basketball) The Nets return to the Barclays Center to welcome Superstar Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs tonight. The Knicks head to Milwaukee to battle a short-handed Bucks team then head back to Madison Square Garden for a Sunday matinee nationally televised game against the Spurs on Sunday.

(Baseball) We are a little less than a month away from the Yankees and Mets baseball season back on our TV screens again. Catch an All-New episode of Sports Talk with Eddie live tonight at 5 pm on the Our Time Press YouTube channel—See last week’s show here

Jesse Jackson Passes

Editor, Our Time Press
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Jesse Jackson Passes

“He Inspired All of Us to Dream Without Limits”

Reflections
By David Mark Greaves
Reverend Jesse Jackson was the voice of the Baby Boomers generation in Black America. His charisma was such that a commentator wrote, after seeing the reaction of teachers as Jackson walked through a school hall in Atlanta, Ga., “If he were white, he’d be elected by acclamation.”


I was a member of my father Bill’s camera film crew filming Jackson at the March 1972 National Black Political Convention in Gary, Indiana, when Jackson gave a speech where he repeatedly asked, “What time is it?” The crowd of delegates and leaders from around the country responded, “Nation Time!”. He called for Black doctors, black lawyers, black teachers, and said, in so many words, that it doesn’t matter what the numerator is, the common denominator was heritage, legacy, Blackness.


When Jackson finished, there was no attempt to continue business because emotion erupted in laughter, dancing, and music. He seemed to be at the height of his rhetorical powers, but there was more. I next filmed him at the July 1984 San Francisco Democratic National Convention. We were staying in a hotel with a delegation representing the disabled. In his speech at the Convention, Jackson said, “I’d rather have Franklin Roosevelt in a wheelchair than Ronald Reagan on a horse.” I remember there was laughter and joy again in that hotel lobby afterward, as they had heard someone who was speaking for them.

Gary Mayor Richard Hatcher welcomes leaders and delegates to the National Black Convention at Gary, Indiana in March 1972. At left is Imamu Barak of the New Jersey Conference of African Peoples, and at right is Rev. Jesse Jackson the head of the Chicago Operation PUSH. Jackson predicted the three day convention would be a first step toward a Black political party. (Photo by Bettmann Archive/Getty Images)
CIRCA 1975: Reverend Jesse Jackson’s march for jobs — around the White House (Photo by Buyenlarge/Getty Images)


One of the ministers we met in Atlanta described Jackson as “The Tree Shaker.” And he and others like him were “The Jelly Makers,” working with the fruit that Jackson had excited and knocked down from the tree and were then shown how to participate in — however you may call it –the Movement, a Campaign, Operation Push, NAACP, Friends of the Students Nonvioence Coordinating Committee, or any of the many actions Rev. Jesse Jackson initiated and inspired toward the advancement of African American people.


That advancement is under threat as the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the work of generations, is in danger of being eviscerated by the Supreme Court. And we have to be the ones to grab the baton from the fallen (?) hand and make the way forward as we have in the past. As Rev. Jackson would expect us to do.

Statement by Democratic State Senate Candidate Marlon Rice

Tuesday, February 17, 2026 – BROOKLYN, NY – Marlon Rice, candidate for state senate in District 25, released the following statement following news of the death of the Rev. Jesse Jackson:
“A titan of justice, Rev. Jesse Jackson was the bridge that united the foundations of civil rights with the bold energy of the Black Lives Matter movement. His historic presidential campaigns taught my generation to ‘keep hope alive.’ As we navigate this period of political and moral uncertainty, may Rev. Jackson’s legacy continue to inspire us all to dream without limits.”

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