Highlighting black and brown artists at Bed Stuy STooPs Block Party

BEDFORD STUYVESANT, Brooklyn (PIX11) – Over the last decade and a half, the racial makeup of the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bed Stuy has changed dramatically because of gentrification.

Tens of thousands of black residents have left, and thousands of white residents arrived. For the 11th year, a block party was held to bring new and old neighbors together to celebrate the neighborhood’s history and diversity.

It’s the 11th annual STooPs arts crawl and block party celebrating Bed Stuy’s rich cultural tapestry.

There were the Batala NYC drummers, those doing Double Dutch jump rope, children playing in sprinklers, and some energetic dancing from Asa! Fitness, and booths of lotions, arts, and clothing.

But what makes this Bed Stuy STooPs block party so different is its goal: to bring together new residents, many of them white, and their older longtime black neighbors.

“My goal is to highlight, to amplify the voices, especially black and brown artists here in this neighborhood to showcase the neighborhood,” Kendra Bostock, Bed Stuy STooPs block party and arts crawl founder, told PIX11 News.

Zardon Zo played and sang from a stoop, and Kai Diata Giovanni read some poetry from another stoop while the art crawl host walked through this historic neighborhood.

“The history is deep, it’s rich and continually evolving,” Shanna Sabio, art crawl host, and Growhouse NYC, told PIX11 News. “People talk about gentrification and being displaced, but we also see people coming back,” she added.

In this neighborhood, there are some families who lived here for five generations, like Deborah James’ family, and many newer residents as well.

“I appreciate that the block party was organized and led by black members of the community who want to hold onto their culture,” Stephanie Russell-Kraft, a newer white resident from Crown Heights, told PIX11 News. “We’re a white family who moved  here relatively recently. I want my children to be cognizant of that,” she added.

And longtime resident Deborah James told PIX11 News.

“When my grandmother and mother first bought a house across the street, we were one of the first three or four black families to move in,” James, a grandmother, told PIX11 News. “But now it’s happening the other way. But I have my children and grandchild here. We adapt,” she added.

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