How Weeksville, a Center of Black History, Fought to Survive
The New York Times
A slice of Brooklyn that was home to one of the largest free Black communities in pre-Civil War America sought the promise of steady financial help from the city.
Two years ago, Weeksville Heritage Center in Brooklyn, which is dedicated to preserving the remnants of a thriving village established by Black New Yorkers in the years after the state abolished slavery in 1827, was at risk of disappearing. Facing a severe budget shortfall, the center was able to raise more than $350,000 through a crowdfunding campaign, but local politicians knew that a temporary influx of cash wouldn’t save it in the long term. So they turned to the city. Through their efforts, Weeksville recently became the first organization in a generation to be added to the city’s Cultural Institutions Group — a collection of nearly three dozen cultural organizations, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, whose inclusion in the group makes them eligible for more city funding. Now Weeksville, a historical and cultural center, is entering a new phase of its long and winding history. On Tuesday, Weeksville named a new chief executive officer, Raymond Codrington, a cultural anthropologist with curatorial and nonprofit leadership experience. With the organization no longer fighting for its survival, his mission will be to use its new institutional support to expand its presence in Brooklyn.More Related News