A coalition of activists from all over Brooklyn will come together at the Brooklyn Museum this Sunday, July 24th to present The Brooklyn Community Forum on Anti-Gentrification and Displacement.
Event organizers whose credentials include work with The Movement to Protect the People, Brooklyn Anti-Gentrififcation Network, Artists of Color Bloc, and the Brooklyn Museum’s current show Agitprop! have curated a well considered full day’s schedule of events, which will take the form of “musical performances, intimate discussions, workshops, panel talks, and more information which will inform, empower and inspire!” according to the event’s Facebook page.
The event was previously scheduled to take place on July 10th, but was moved due to an air conditioning outage at the Brooklyn Museum.
Among the delegations representing Bushwick residents is youth group Monsters of Brooklyn, who will perform at 4:30 p.m. The group’s work centers on themes of gentrification and displacement, and the core mission of their project is “giving black and brown youth the tools and resources needed to empower them through HIP HOP and create music to tell a story and revive the true essence of hip hop culture.”
From 2-3 there is a Teen Roundtable, hosted by Chantel Reeves, who will be facilitating an open discussion on gentrification and displacement with the youth, offering those present a comfortable space for their feelings, ideas, thoughts, and fears.
Bushwick artivism [sic] (activism through art) project Mi Casa No Es Su Casa is also involved in the event.
Notable speakers include Imani Henry of the Brooklyn Anti Gentrification Network (BAN) and Equality for Flatbush, Tom Angotti of Hunter College, Alicia Boyd of the Movement to Protect the People and the Crown Heights-Lefferts Garden, Rob Robinson of Take Back the Land, and Elizabeth Yeampierre of UpRose in Sunset Park.
The full list of events is available on the website of the Movement to Protect the People.
The final event of the day is an Anti Gentrification and Displacement March: attendees are asked to meet at the entrance of Brooklyn Museum by 5 PM to march down Washington Avenue to the entrance to Prospect Park at Empire Blvd, “in a show of solidarity and commitment to protect our communities and our families from displacement.”
The march ends with the event’s picnic (bring your own), which will present a convenient time to meet and connect with others in your community.
The Brooklyn Museum is happy to hold your picnic items in their coat check area, too, so don’t forget to grab it before heading to the march!