New Digital Exhibits at the Brooklyn Collection

I'm happy to announce a new addition to the Brooklyn Collection's roster of online exhibits -- the Generation Preservation Project. The project was created by Philip Bond in 2009 during his time at the Macon Library in Bedford-Stuyvesant, which is also home to the African-American Heritage Center. Using that historic Carnegie library as a backdrop, Bond invited the neighborhood in to have "family" portraits taken. Participants were given a copy of their portrait and, with permission, the portraits were also donated to the Brooklyn Collection to serve as a lasting documentation of the community. All were welcome, and the term "family" was used broadly, as befits a city as diverse as ours. Some families comprised multiple generations, some groups of friends, and some only one soul. The popular program was repeated in 2011, and an exhibit of the photographs was mounted at the Macon Library. Our digital slideshow of images from the project also includes an interview with Philip Bond, who discusses the genesis of the project, the community's response to it, and whether or not it is OK to pose with one's cat.

Additionally, in honor of Black History Month, the Brooklyn Collection has put together a resource page on African-American history in Brooklyn.  Drawing from several of our digitized collections, including city directories, Brooklyn Daily Eagle photographs, and the Civil Rights in Brooklyn collection, the resource guide focuses in on abolition efforts in Brooklyn, daily life for Black Brooklynites in the 19th century, and the efforts of the Brooklyn chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) in the 1960s.  Both collections can be accessed from our Programs and Exhibitions page.  For a wider-angle view of Black history in America, Brooklyn Public Library has also put together several Black History Month webpages, including one focusing on Black genealogy, which can be accessed here.