Wrestling with Fort Greene's Transformation
In a first-person piece in The Times this weekend, artist Nelson George laments how Fort Greene has changed since he and his black artist contemporaries put down roots in the leafy brownstone neighborhood more than two decades ago. We’re interested to hear how the essay struck readers. What we thought was missing from the article…
In a first-person piece in The Times this weekend, artist Nelson George laments how Fort Greene has changed since he and his black artist contemporaries put down roots in the leafy brownstone neighborhood more than two decades ago. We’re interested to hear how the essay struck readers. What we thought was missing from the article was an acknowledgment of the current generation of black artists and intellectuals in the neighborhood and how they feel about the composition of the neighborhood. A mention of a place like Madiba where the diversity of the area is on full display, for example, would have added some valuable context for his discussions of the clientele at the Brooklyn Moon. Then again, this wasn’t meant to have been anything more than one man’s coming to terms with the changes around him. Thoughts?
Fort Greene: Strangers on His Street [NY Times]
Photo by niznoz
I don’t think anyone would want to go back to the bad old days of violence in NYC- but that doesn’t mean we should forget the good things either. NYC was called the Great Melting Pot- but in fact people didn’t become one globby homogenous mass- NYC was a place of cultural richness and diversity such as you would never find anywhere else. It still is- but my regret is that much of our culture is being dumbed down, and disneyfied. If Bloomberg had his way, NYC would be a theme Park- look at what they want to do with Coney Island. Even today you can go there and have a great time (yes, as shabby as some people think it is) and not spend a fortune. Once Thor gets through with it you’ll need to hock your house to spend a family day there.
Look at all the great business districts (let alone the distinctive neighborhoods) that have waned and all but disappeared in Manhattan- the garment district, the Flower District, the Trim District, the Bridal District, etc. The city is much poorer for their loss.
It was a nice piece, a bit melancholic I suppose. Funny thing is, the writer moved to FG somewhat late in life and has lived here for about 24 years or so. 30 or 35 years before he arrived, the neighborhood was completely different racially as well. Things do change relatively quickly.
I also think fsrq hit upon a good point that the author did not necessarily focus on consciously, this is a piece about aging in many ways.
The thing I do love about FG and CHill is that they are truly diverse places. What I like, and probably value even more than the loss of artists to high rent, is the diversity of in-tact families (i.e. lots of moms AND dads with their kids), black, white and mixed race, that you see regularly in these neighborhoods.
Actually Colonel Steve, Madiba is an amazing example of diversity in this neighborhood. Most nights it features one of the most “mixed”, for lack of a better word, clienteles you will see anywhere. And its just a great hang where folks from the whole spectrum of the neighborhood have a great time together. I think this article was a pretty level headed exploration of the themes of loss and change. Bravo to Nelson George for writing it and to most of us for being able to discuss it civilly. I moved to FT Greene/Clinton Hill 8 years ago and the neighborhood has radically changed since then, but many of the things that brought me here remain: families, community, artistic vibe, architecture. These things are all alive and well in Ft Greene/Clinton Hill.
interesting point fsgr. sometimes whiney “back in the day-ers” can get annoying (tho im not calling this guy that). just something in general. yeah we get it things were so much better back then.
*rob*
If ethnic cuisine like Madiba is the best example of Diversity on display in FG, then you are pretty reinforcing the writers sentiment.
“This could be a very interesting thread if everyone can do a similar job of keeping their cool while being honest but respectful.”
Welcome to La-La Land where pixie dust make things “all better”. From the race based clap trap from Brooklynian to “acknowledgment of the current generation of black artists and intellectuals in the neighborhood and how they feel about the composition of the neighborhood”???? Brownstoner I love how the way you weave in and out it’s all Bullshit!
The What
Someday this war is gonna end..
While Mr. George focuses on his experience in Fort Greene, I believe this article touches on a broader theme that he quickly acknowledges in his reference to East Flatbush and Canarsie: the constant change in New York City neighborhoods.
It just so happens that this past weekend I hosted a party at my house of my college buddies on the ocassion of the 30th anniversary of our graduation from Cooper Union’s Engineering School in Greenwich Village. At that time, the Engineering School was completely dominated by working-class Irish, Italian and Jewish kids from the outer boroughs (the so-called “white ethnics”). At my party, the talk centered on two topics: the change in New York City, and the change in the economy.
When we graduated, I was the only one in my gang of about 25 to stay in New York. Everybody else wanted out for two reasons: a) it appeared to all that NYC was quickly descending into the abyss of violence and deterioration and b) everyone wanted an engineering job with one of the big corporations like IBM, AT&T, HP, etc., all of whom had their facilities in greener pastures (literally and figuratively). They believed that they were set for life if they took a postion with one of these companies.
Well, things have certainly changed in 30 years!! Some had not been back in Brooklyn in many, many years, and they marvelled at the changes as I took them on a tour of Park Slope. At the same time, there was constant talk of survival in these very same corporations. One of my buddies told me that IBM had cut alot of positions at his location, but offered them jobs in their new facility in Bangalore, India – and their salaries would be adjusted downwards to the level prevalent in this location!!
As ENY stated, time marches on, and things change.
The thing that I think the author slightly missed and I am sure most of the comments will definitely miss, is that the article/story isn’t really about race, neighborhoods or NYC – what the article is really about is universal – its called aging…..
I think Nelson George was right in saying that Fort Greene’s black creative community was able to invent itself in ways that Harlem just couldn’t, at the time. I was spending time in both communities then, and FG definitely had the creative energy. For a while, it seemed like everyone who was creative was there, and not just the celebs. Fashion designers, stylists, classical musicians, poets and home decor people. It seemed like if you asked any up and coming black person in any creative field, they either lived in FG, or wanted to live there, or hung out there. They also were as much on the “South” streets, as anywhere else. It was known as quite the buppy neighborhood for years. Much of that creative energy, along with the people, seems to have migrated back to Harlem, especially below 125th St, starting in the Mt. Morris Park area moving west. But, when prices peaked, Brooklyn started to look really good again for many of these same people who had left in the late 90’s. What goes around, comes around.