Meet the Black Brooklynites who defined New York City鈥檚 most populous borough through their search for social justice
Before it was a borough, Brooklyn was our nation鈥檚 third largest city. Its free Black community attracted people from all walks of life鈥攂usinesswomen, church leaders, laborers, and writers鈥攚ho sought to grow their city in a radical anti-slavery vision. The residents of neighborhoods like DUMBO, Fort Greene, and Williamsburg organized and agitated for social justice. They did so even as their own freedom was threatened by systemic and structural racism, risking their safety for the sake of their city. Brooklynites recovers the lives of these remarkable citizens and considers their lasting impact on New York City鈥檚 most populous borough.
This cultural and social history is told through four ordinary families from Brooklyn鈥檚 nineteenth-century free Black community: the Crogers, the Hodges, the Wilsons, and the Gloucesters. The book illustrates the depth and scope of their activism, cementing Brooklyn鈥檚 place in the history of social justice movements. Their lives offer valuable lessons on freedom, democracy, and family鈥攂oth the ones we鈥檙e born with and the ones we choose. Their powerful stories continue to resonate today, as borough residents fill the streets in search of a more just city.
This is a story of land, home, labor, of New Yorkers past, and the legacy they left us. This is the story of Brooklyn.
