“Everyplace has a Weeksville, where ordinary people came first and labored to create a more hospitable living setting for their loved ones.” - Joan Maynard, Founder

Tell us your story/detailed overview

THIS Heritage Center is an historic site and cultural center in Central Brooklyn that uses education, arts and a social justice lens to preserve, document and inspire engagement with the history of Weeksville, one of the largest free Black communities in pre-Civil War America, and the historic Hunterfly Road houses. Our vision is to be a leading authority and resource for the scholarship, exploration and dissemination of the history of Weeksville and other 19th and early 20th century free Black communities, as well as the modern day artistic, intellectual and social justice imperatives they exemplify and inspire. Our work will illuminate a pivotal aspect of Black history; empower our visitors with tools, training and education; celebrate and center Black culture, community abs creativity; and spark dialogue and collaborations between local residents, artists, academics and activists that advance us towards a more just and equitable world.

Neighborhood

BedStuy Bedford Stuyvesant Crown Heights