Weeksville Heritage Center

09/01/2026

In 1898, “Something Good – Negro Kiss “captured one of the earliest known representations of Black intimacy on film: a kiss lasting just seconds. More than a century later, “Glenville” draws inspiration from that historic image.

Directed by Kevin Jerome Everson and Kahlil I. Pedizisai, the film follows a couple on New Year’s Eve: unhurried, present, ordinary.

See “Glenville” as part of Weeksville Watch Night: To Linger in the Ordinary, a free evening of film and reflection this Thursday, September 3.

Curated by Gervais Marsh (Gervais Marsh, PhD) in partnership with Rada Collaborative (Rada Studio).

Doors open at 6 PM.
Reserve your spot today.

Clip from Glenville, Dir Kevin Jerome Everson & Kahlil I. Pedizisai; courtesy the artist(s); trilobite-arts DAC; Picture Palace Pictures

08/29/2026

Tenacious. Devoted. Persevering. A reclaimer of archives.

These are some of the words Weeksville staff shared when asked to describe Joan Maynard.

Today we celebrate the birthday of Joan Maynard. In 1968, Joan helped found the Society for the Preservation of Weeksville and Bedford-Stuyvesant History and went on to lead it for more than 25 years. She raised funds from governments, corporations, and children collecting pennies. She donated her personal savings. She carried slides to schools and community groups across Brooklyn, giving presentations to build support for a history that the history books had ignored.

The houses she fought for were just restored. The community she believed in is still here.

Happy birthday, Joan. We carry your work forward.

Images:

Joan Maynard and Shirley Chisholm, Bash at BAM, September 22, 1973. Courtesy of Weeksville Heritage Center.

Joan Maynard, Automotive High School visit, 1996. Photo by Tequila Minsky. Courtesy of Weeksville Heritage Center.

Joan Maynard, Anne Weinlich, Arlene Robinson, Charles Innes, and William Carey at the Weeksville Houses for the Brooklyn Union Gas Cinderella Project, December 1985. Courtesy of Weeksville Heritage Center.

08/25/2026

Weeksville Heritage Center is growing, and we are looking for talented, mission-driven professionals to join our team!

Weeksville Heritage Center is one of the most significant preserved sites of 19th-century free Black life in America. Our work spans historic preservation, arts and culture, community programming, and education. We are building the team that will carry that work into its next chapter.

We are currently hiring for the following roles:

Executive Assistant to the President and CEO
Director of Administration and Finance
Director of Programs
Building Custodial Assistant
Oral History and Digital Archives Intern

Whether you are a senior leader, an emerging professional, or someone looking to contribute your skills to a living institution with deep roots and an ambitious future, we invite you to explore these opportunities.

Learn more and apply at

Join us at Weeksville Photo Credit: J. Laws Productions Weeksville Heritage Center-Volunteer Opportunities Looking for ways to give back, become a valued

08/13/2026

Every brushstroke tells a story.

Earlier this month, neighbors joined Groundswell teaching artists for a community paint day, bringing a collaboratively designed mural to life on parachute cloth. This fall, it will be installed on the brick wall across from Weeksville, adding a new work of public art to the neighborhood.

Thank you to the young people who designed this work, the Groundswell team who made it possible, and every neighbor who showed up, picked up a brush, and left their mark. We're looking forward to experiencing the finished mural with you.

08/13/2026

The right book at the right moment changes everything.

Bring the whole family to the Weeksville Green Market for a workshop with 18 August Ave on building a home library that reflects your children. Interactive storytime, caregiver reflection, and curated book bundles to take home.

See the full August 22 lineup and reserve your spot: https://bit.ly/3TKzwqQ

08/11/2026

At 3:30 PM on August 22, join Lisette Scott of Jam + Rico for a hands-on jewelry-making workshop inspired by the Caribbean and African Diaspora. Explore how adornment carries culture, memory, and personal meaning, and then create your own necklace or bracelet to take home. All materials provided, no experience needed.

Free and open to all.

RSVP + full market schedule here: https://bit.ly/3TKzwqQ

08/10/2026

Weeksville Heritage Center recently welcomed NYC Department of Cultural Affairs Commissioner Diya Vij for a site visit to our historic grounds in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Visits like this remind us why preserving and celebrating Black history matters and why community partnerships are essential to sustaining it.

If you would like to support the work Commissioner Vij came to see firsthand, we invite you to make a gift or plan a visit or tour to Weeksville.

Plan your visit: https://weeksvillesociety.org/

08/06/2026

There is so much life in Crown Heights.

Join Indigo Goodson-Fields for a beginner's birding workshop at the Weeksville Green Community Market on August 22. Explore backyard birds and migratory species, learn about the community of Black birders, and discover how our presence shapes broader birding culture.

Fresh produce, Black-owned vendors, and a full afternoon of programming also await. Free and open to all, 12 to 5 PM.

RSVP and see w: https://bit.ly/3TKzwqQ

08/05/2026

Movie night returns to Weeksville! Our ongoing film series, Weeksville Watchnight, returns on Thursday, August 27th, from 6-9 pm.

We'll be joined by spiritual practitioner and educator Juju Bae as we screen a series of short films focused on Africana Spiritualities across the Diaspora. We’ll explore themes of memory, ancestral mysticism, and the use of art to address mischaracterizations of these long-standing traditions.

The screening will be followed by a talkback with artist and filmmaker SHAN Wallace.

Free and open to the public. RSVP: https://bit.ly/4c4E8OP

Image: Scene from the short film "Water Ritual #1: An Urban Rite of Purification" directed by Barbara McCullough.

08/04/2026

BK Reader did a wonderful job covering our recent conversation on deed theft and Black homeownership at Weeksville. The fight to protect Black homeownership in Brooklyn is inseparable from the history of this place, and that history was very much present in the room.

Thank you to Commissioner Leah Goodridge of the NYC Department of City Planning, NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Sherease Torain of the Black Homeowners Preservation Coalition, Peter White of the NYC Office of Deed Theft Prevention, and Jovan Ellis of the Center for NYC Neighborhoods for a powerful and necessary conversation.

Read the full story:

At the Weeksville Heritage Center, a discussion on the history of Black homeownership and displacement offers insight into today's housing landscape.