Bedford Stuyvesant presented a study in sharp contrasts in the 1960s. The neighborhood boasted successful black-owned businesses, a thriving black working and professional class, a remarkable housing stock of prewar brownstone buildings, and a proud cultural history.  At the same time, the neighborhood was a community battered by severe disinvestment, persistent segregation and racism, declining economic opportunities, and a straining yoke between African American communities and the criminal justice system.

In response to this, the joint agency of intense grassroots activism and the personal initiative of two New York senators of that time – Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Jacob Javits "dreamed of things that never were and asked, why not?" Thus, in 1967, Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation emerged as the nation's first community development corporation. 

Arts and culture have been a critical pillar of Restoration’s community development practice for 50 years. Despite the fact that the arts are heralded as a contributor to academic performance and student discipline for youth, economic prosperity, physical and psychological well-being, safer neighborhoods and social capital, there is inadequate investment in arts and arts education in Bedford Stuyvesant. Based on a 2012 report issued by the Brooklyn Community Foundation, the average NYC resident receives $6.26 in city and state arts and culture funding, while Bed-Stuy receives $2.44 per resident. Yet the benefits of such investment are undisputed – for example, the high school graduation rate for students in our Youth Arts Academy is 99% compared to the borough average of 58.8% and 90% of our arts students go on to college compared to 48.2% in Brooklyn.

We have come so far and, yet, we still have a long ways to go in transforming the lives of so many in Bedford Stuyvesant and beyond through the power of the arts.  Just two weeks ago a second noose was found hanging from a tree in Bed-Stuy right outside of the Bedford Public Library, even as activist across the country take a knee on and off the field to stand against systemic inequality that would threaten the civil rights of so many across this nation. I am reminded of our role, as artists, by the great Toni Morrison:

There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.

RestorationART is a bold, inspirational and necessary platform that spotlights marginalized communities and stories, providing a platform for the unrealized aspirations of thousands to look into the future and imagine a world in which we all can flourish.

As we mark 50 years of service, I am asking you to join A Revolutionary Tribe of Artists from around the corner and around the world.  Our goal is to convene a collective of artists - in all fields - to pledge a one-time gift of $50 or more to ensure that our story  - which is the American story - is told for another 50 years here in the cultural epicenter that is home to the largest Black community in the US. 

Thank you and Ever-Forward!

Your contribution is tax-deductible.