Culture

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The fate of Slave No. 1 Theater in Bed-Stuy, opened in the early 1980s by Judge John L. Phillips, Jr., is still being decided by the probate court, documentary filmmaker and activist Mya Baker told us. The retired judge, who after being declared mentally incompetent lost control of $10 million or so worth of property in Bed-Stuy, was pronounced dead last February, on the same day a rally was scheduled to save his cherished theater, once a hub of black activism. “He didn’t really have any family members and he didn’t leave it to anybody, so it all depends on if they’re gonna take it or not,” she said.

Baker acknowledged that preservation efforts have so far received a tepid response, but a Juneteenth Festival to that end is still planed June 21. Online petitions such as this one, started last November to prevent its sale, have only a handful of signatures, and a myspace profile created for the theater hasn’t been logged into in six months. “Last week they had a play called ‘The Meeting Between Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr.’ and it was a three-day run … I went on the first day. It was, you know, people, not that many people,” she said, sounding a bit dispirited. During the time Baker, 34, was most heavily involved with the theater, she said, “It’s just trying to rally the community to want to save it, that was the biggest problem.” This is in stark contrast to the energy that once emanated from the place. During the 1980s, when racially-motivated killings twice caused firestorms throughout the city, the varied factions of the black community needed a central meeting place, and that became the Slave Theater. While the name was intended as reminder of the injustices black Americans have endured, inside the walls are lined with portraits of prominent activists like Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who led movements to overcome those struggles. Baker said there are still efforts to sell the theater, and we found a listing online, albeit almost a year old. Meanwhile, the historic theater continues to play host to small events.
A Symbol of Activism Is at Center of Court Dispute [NY Times]
Slave Theater could be sold to pay judge’s ‘debts’ [Brooklyn Paper]
John L. Phillips Jr., 83, Civil Court Judge Is Dead [NY Times via mybedstuy]