The Power of the Story: Neighbors Share How Brooklyn Fought Deed Theft

Join us for a powerful night centered on community, storytelling, and home. Gathering on the historic grounds of the nation’s second-largest free Black community before the civil war, we will gather together to consider what it means to carry on the legacy of Black belonging in Brooklyn today. 

Begin the night with a free tour of the Historic Hunterfly Road Houses (5:30 pm) to learn more about the inspiring history of Black homeownership and placemaking in Central Brooklyn. Then, gather with us at 6pm to hear directly from advocates and community members who are directly impacted by deed theft. Through their stories, learn more about the troubling rise of deed theft and about the tools we have as a community to fight it.  

Accompanying this event, Weeksville invites you to continue the conversation by sharing your own stories of deed theft with us. Throughout the event, sign-ups will be available to participate in an oral history project, capturing the stories and experiences of our neighbors impacted by deed theft. 

If you are interested in sharing your personal account for the Weeksville Heritage Center archive, please register via the oral history sign up sheet, linked here. Or, sign up in person Thursday evening during the event. Participating in the oral history project is completely optional and will take place at a later date. Sharing your story of deed theft as an oral history provides an opportunity to become a lasting part of the record, capturing this moment of increased housing instability and neighborhood change in Central Brooklyn through the experiences of our community in reckoning with it right now.

This is a public event and all who are interested in learning more about this critical issue are invited to join. Please note that while the Historic Hunterfly House Tour is not ADA accessible, the discussion will be. Snacks and drinks will be provided.