Syndicate 19:

Bedford Academy http://www.freedimensional.org

“Credits”

This project is a partnership between freeDimensional’s Syndicate 19 and Bedford Academy High School.

The youth of Bedford Academy created this campaign in the hopes of reversing negative media stereotypes of Bedford Stuyvesant. We hope that this booklet will show you all the dynamic qualities that make our community beautiful.

Leea Felton, Shane Davis, Hunter Weaver-Daniel, Lorenzo Vargas, Evan Boston, Gabriel Parra, Ashley Gadsden, Melvin Davis, Janae Connerly, Jalisa Wright, Derrel Meade, Halima Dargan, Ariel Terry, Christina Boyd, Dijuana Hogans.

Syndicate 19 is an after-school civic digital journalism program in part-nership with Bedford Academy. Our program mission is predicated upon Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – the right to freedom of opinion, information and expression. Syndicate 19 empow-ers youth to become community social activists and citizen journalists by teaching them to critically investigate their world, creatively capture the news around them, and syndicate their content through new web technol-ogy, while honing skills that prepare them for college and a variety of career paths. Thanks to Eyebeam Atelier and Patrick Meagher for making this work-shop possible.

FreeDimensional Eyebeam Atelierww.freedimensional.org www.eyebeam.org

BEDFORD ACADEMY HIGH SCHOOLGeorge E. Leonard, Principal 1119 Bedford Ave.Brooklyn, N.Y. 11216 (718)398-3061 Fax 718-636-3819

“Table of Contents”

1. History of Bedford Stuyvesant

2. “Melting Pot”

3. Misunderstood Bedford Stuyvesant

4. Bedford Stuyvesant Quotes

5. Bedford Stuyvesant Quotes

6. Beautiful Bed-Stuy

7. Famous People of Bedford Stuyvesant

8. “Come and See…”

9. Credits

10. Back Page

“Main attractions”

Green Playground Wash

ington H

all Park Lafayette Gardens Playground

Pratt Playground

Botanical GardenGrand Army Plaza

Fort Greene Park

History of Bedford Stuyvesant

“From the Womb to the Tomb”

By 1940, sixty-five thousand blacks lived in Bedford-Stuyvesant.

After World War II, the black population grew to dominate

Bedford-Stuyvesant completely, making it second only to

Chicago's South Side as the most populous black district of any

American city.

The neighborhood name is an extension of the name of the

village of Bedford., expanded to include the area of Stuyvesant

heights. The name Stuyvesant comes from Peter Stuyvesant, the

last governor of the New Netherland colony.

The community of Bedford contained one of the older free

African American communities in the U.S., Weeksville, much of

which is still extant and preserved as an historical site.

Large number immigrants from the Caribbean arrived at

“bed-stuy” to look for jobs

“Bed-Stuy Do or Die” was a campaign to make Bedford

Stuyvesant to make it a more positive place.

Participants were poet activist June Jordan, activist Hattie

Carthan, rapper and actor Mos Def, and actor and comedian

Chris Rock.

Bedford Stuyvesant was featured as a setting of Dave

Chappelle’s Block Party

Bedford Stuyvesant was one of the places where some of the

famous hip hop/rap artists were raised.

‘ The m

elting pot o

f bed-stuy‘

- Afric

an Americans fr

om the south migrate

d to Bed-Stuy for better opportu

nities.

- Carib

bean people c

ame to

Bed-Stuy for a bette

r life.

- By the 2

1st century im

migrant fr

om South America, L

atin Americ

a and the W

est Indies

had come to

Bed-Stuy.

- Fulton Stree

t in Bed-Stuy is

home to cu

ltural dish

es from Afric

a, West I

ndies, an

d Latin

America.

- In res

toration plaz

a you ca

n find music

dance and clo

thes from other c

ountries.

- Durin

g the summer y

ou can att

end The Utica

Avenue Fair.

- The A

frican Stree

t Festival i

s also

found in Bed-Stuy.

“Pride of Bed-Stuy”

Notorious B.I.G.-Rapper

Lil Kim-Rapper

Mos Def-Rapper/Actor

Jay-Z-Rapper

Fabolous-Rapper

Papoose-Rapper

Chris Rock-Actor/Comedian

Shirley Chisholm-Congresswoman

Al Vann-Congressman

Franklin Thomas-1st President of Restoration

Spike Lee- Actor/Director

Monique Greenwood-Entrepreneur

Steve Dunn- Entrepreneur

Crystal Bobb Semple- Author/Bookstore Owner

Debbie Cannon-Boxer

Bernard Gassaway- Educator

Floyd Patterson- Boxer

“Bed-Stuy is beautiful and peaceful “

-Brownstones were made in Bed-Stuy

-Mc Donough St. wins "greenest block in Brooklyn" year 2004

-Kingston Park is rebuilt in 2000 by the city.

-Halsey block association fixes and improves litter on their block.

-Putnam houses are reconstructed

-Elisha g. Strout retirement home is reconstructed

-Bedford academy is built.

BED-STUY

“We don’t ride or die…we strive for peace in the Stuy”- Dijuana Hogans

“We do what we can, and can what we try in the Stuy”-Halima Dargan

“(Do or Die) Bump what you heard, we stay alive in the Stuy.”

-Leea Felton

“Beau

ty is skin d

eep in

the Stu

y”-Ariel Terry

“We’re not in the hood, we’re in our homes.”-Ariel Terry

“Bed-Stuy- not bad, just misunderstood”-Christina Boyd

“Represent your Hood, don’t let your hood represent you” -Janae Connerly

“Let the Stuy bring beauty to your eye”- Janae Connerly

“Bed-Stuy= BEST-Stuy”- Jalisa Wright

“Achieving through adversity and plight creates diversity and ends stereotype.”-Ashley Gadsden

“Bed-Stuy is beautiful and peaceful.”- Gabriel Parra

“Bed-Stuy, black and strong.”-Melvin Davis

“Bed-Stuy: from the womb to the tomb.”-Hunter Weaver-Daniel

“Crown Heights is the Crown of Brooklyn.”-Derrel Meade

“To shoot or not to shoot th

at is the question”-Evan Boston

“Bed-Stuy isn’t what it seems…it’s really paradise.”-Lorenzo Vargas

“We’re not hood we’re harmless”-Shane Davis“We’re not hard, so there’s not reason for you to put us down.”

-Shane David

“Bed-Stuy has pride not violence”-Shane Davis

“The Melting Pot of Brooklyn”-Leea Felton