Center for Brooklyn History

TOMORROW (12/14): Hear how mythologized white purity and a fear of Black sexuality have fueled racism throughout time, from Emmett Till to the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. Historians Jane Dailey and Nell Painter are in conversation: https://bklynlibrary.zoom.us//re/WN_cSRUgFx2SN2fKQ-uJwPDEQ

This week brought forth the first #snow of the season, with the potential for more to come! With that in mind, this #MuseumMomentOfZen is dedicated to those times when #Brooklyn becomes a wintery landscape, and even #ConeyIsland might swap its sand for snow. Coney Island, undated (possibly 1860s), arc.202_box16_314; Brooklyn photograph and illustration collection, Center for Brooklyn History, Brooklyn Public Library. #winter #OhWhatFun #SleighRide #SnowOnTheBeach

Today we join in mourning the loss of Dr. Ahmad Jaber, a leader in the Arab American civil rights movement and founder of the Arab American Association of New York. We are privileged that Dr. Jaber shared an oral history with us as part of our #MuslimsInBrooklyn project. Listen to his stories here: https://oralhistory.brooklynhistory.org//jaber-ahmad-2018/ Learn more about his work here: https://www.arabamericanny.org/dr-jaber.

Today we're skipping back through #RedHook in the 1970s for this playful scene and an exploration of #piers through the years! This makes us think about how much the Red Hook landscape has changed over a few #DecadesOfBrooklyn. Where and when should we go next? Let us know! [Kids on Red Hook pier], 1978, V2008.013.72; Lucille Fornasieri Gold Photographs, Center for Brooklyn History, Brooklyn Public Library. #BrooklynDecades #1970s #StreetPhotography #playing #PiersThroughTheYears #TearsForPiers #Pierless #PeeringAtPiers

A historic year deserves a historic end-of-year wrap up! Our friends at Urban Archive have gathered images, facts, and other pieces of #history from all over #NewYorkCity so you can explore, understand, and celebrate the ways that the past has shaped the city. Click here to see snapshots from yours truly and many of your favorite cultural institutions citywide: https://www.urbanarchive.org/stories/rrNBHJQoRfJ #Brooklyn #NewYorkCity #2020 #UrbanArchive #2020LookBack

Good morning, #Brooklyn! Today (11/1) is the LAST DAY of EARLY VOTING in New York. Polls in #NYC are open until 4pm at designated #EarlyVoting locations. Want to make your voice heard this way? Check out voteearlynyc.org for more information and to find your in-person #voting location. You can also drop off a completed #AbsenteeBallot at any early voting location, as it must make it to the Board of Elections before 9pm on 11/3. You can still #vote in-person on #ElectionDay (1...1/3). Visit vote.nyc for information and updates about your Election Day polling site. No matter how you do it, take a lesson from these historical #Brooklynites: Make your vote count, and make your vote loud! Voting for their favorites, 1953, HOSP_0756; Brooklyn Daily Eagle photographs, Center for Brooklyn History, Brooklyn Public Library. #IVoted #Election2020 #Decision2020 #Election #vote #Ballot #BallotBox #poll #choice #Democracy

You didn’t think we’d skip a festive final drop of devilish #DoorsOfBrooklyn for #Halloween, didn’t you? This time we’re sharing some *gourd*-geous shots of #ParkSlope, including an actual #CandyChute in the wild! Special thanks to @rosoffdana for providing photos #5 and #7. Hope you’re having a safe and #spooky Halloween! . . . .... . #ghosts #witches #spoopy #monster #spider #candy #trickortreat #happyhalloween #pumpkin #jackolantern #gourd #decorativegourdseason

Anyone could see that the wind was a special wind this night, and the darkness took on a special feel because it was All Hallows' Eve." - The Halloween Tree, Ray Bradbury. Happy #Halloween from Center for Brooklyn History! As with almost every holiday this year, today is a bit different than normal, but that shouldn't stop you from getting into the #spooky spirit! Whatever your plans may be, we hope you have a scary, but safe, Halloween. And get this: it's easier than ever... to #WearAMask! [Children in horror costumes], 1984, V1992.48.55; Anders Goldfarb photographs of Coney Island, Center for Brooklyn History, Brooklyn Public Library. #SpookySeason #HallowsEve #AllHallowsEve #costumes #masks #horror #scary #ghosts #ghouls

We were going through our collection one day, doing the usual tasks like cataloging and organizing, when we came across this picture. Something about it seemed to... call to us. Literally: we started to hear the faintest whispers, too quiet to make out the words. . Then they started getting louder. A voice. A child's voice. And with it, the sounds of old toys: a ringing bell, a music box, the playful tune of a toy xylophone. The voice grew louder, calling to us. Inviting us. ...To play. To join her. Forever. . We put the picture away, making up some other task that needed our immediate attention. But sometimes, even weeks and months later, we still hear that voice, asking us to come play. You hear it now, too, don't you? . Anyway, Happy #Halloween -eve... pleasant *screams* from Center for Brooklyn History . . . . . [Little girl in chair], 1900 ca., V1985.4.64; William Koch glass plate negatives, Center for Brooklyn History, Brooklyn Public Library. . #MuseumTrickOrTreat #Spooky #GhostStory #Scary #SpookySeason

Programs that bring arts and the humanities to prisons change lives. Creating music, theater, writing, and dance brings joy, builds resilience, and anchors incarcerated men and women to their humanity. Join us for an evening of first-hand experiences from members of two organizations dedicated to creative expression behind bars: Rehabilitation Through The Arts (RTA) and The Kite. Hear from artist, activist and RTA alumni Kenyatta Emmanuel, who’s shared his music in Sing Sing ...and Carnegie Hall; Charles Moore, the first Rehabilitation Through the Arts alumni to be hired to work full time for the organization; The Kite founder and director Gigi Blanchard, whose own time in the prison system inspires her work; and others. Readings, dance, and music are interspersed with the discussion. This program was funded in part by Humanities New York with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

In today's #PhotoOfTheWeek, the focus is on the #history of #Brooklyn turning out to #vote! Read the full #POTW blog here: https://bit.ly/2JkCE8L Check out the @urbanarchinveny City Story that digs even deeper into how #NYC #votes here: https://bit.ly/3oy8rTE

TONIGHT (10/29): Join us for an evening of music, readings, and a conversation of how the #arts can bring joy, humanity, and dignity to those who have been incarcerated. https://us02web.zoom.us//register/WN_oI0qKALnQHy6zmLYeX4JKQ

This 1960s shot of #CrownHeights shows us a #neighborhood that knows how to keep on *truckin'*! We're having a great time exploring our newly-expanded collections for more snapshots of #Brooklyn throughout time, so stay tuned for more! . . . .... . [North side of Montgomery Street.], 1962, V1974.9.342; John D. Morrell photographs, Center for Brooklyn History, Brooklyn Historical Society. . #DecadesOfBrooklyn #BrooklynDecades #ColorPhotos #BrooklynPhotos #BrooklynHistory

This is it, folks: 1 week until #ElectionDay. While in-person #voting will take place on November 3rd for Election Day itself, you can actually take part in #EarlyVoting in #NewYork from now until November 1st! Visit www.voteearlyny.org for resources, procedures, and information about your rights as a #voter. And keep in mind: no matter the time or occasion, standing on-line is a #NYC tradition, as this 1880 photo can attest. The right to #vote is worth the wait! [Processing line], 1880 ca, V1972.2.13; Early Brooklyn and Long Island photograph collection, Center for Brooklyn History, Brooklyn Public Library. #IVoted #Elections #Election2020 #Decision2020 #KnowYourRights

Our program exploring history of #FakeNews through a peculiar chapter of the Lincoln Presidency is live now! Join us on Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us//register/WN_2jQv3nphT3q8lrqftLw5IQ Not on Zoom? Join the companion livestream at www.facebook.com/BrooklynHistory/live

Think fake news is a recent problem, a distinctive characteristic of our modern times? Think again. In her new book, investigative journalist Elizabeth Mitchell explores a pivotal moment in the history of the intersection between politics and the press." Lincoln’s Lie: A True Civil War Caper Through Fake News, Wall Street, and the White House," examines how, at the height of the Civil War, a falsified call for the conscription of more troops sent shockwaves through New York. ...From fears of more draft riots, to chaos on Wall Street, to the fallout from Lincoln’s actions against the newspapers that spread the proclamation, Mitchell touches on a history of misinformation that is more relevant with each passing day. She is joined in conversation by author Kurt Andersen, host and co-creator of the erstwhile Peabody award-winning public radio program Studio 360. We are proud to partner with Brooklyn's own Community Bookstore in making this program happen. To purchase your copy of "Lincoln's Lie" today, click here: https://www.communitybookstore.net/book/9781640092822

Is this the #GhostTown thing everyone was talking about the other day? Also, which one of you summoned #Cthulhu? Things are weird enough without ancient malevolent monsters running around... . Swipe through to see more possessed portals, entombed entryways, and demonic #DoorsOfBrooklyn! Less than a week until the big day. #Halloween will be different this year, but there are still ways to enjoy #SpookySeason. What are your plans this year? . .... . . . #ProspectHeights #BedfordStuyvesant #FortGreene #ClintonHill #FtGreene #BedStuy #architecture #design #neighborhood #ghost #skeleton #spider #dinosaur #monster #GreatOldOnes #LovecraftCountry

#Incarceration isolates and stifles people, harming not just their efforts to rehabilitate, but their basic human relationships. On 10/29, hear how arts initiatives bring creativity and connection back to those on the inside through music, dance, and more. https://us02web.zoom.us//register/WN_oI0qKALnQHy6zmLYeX4JKQ