The oldest African American Settlement in Central Brooklyn has officially joined New York City’s list of 33 members of the Cultural Institutions Group (CIG).
Earlier today, Majority Leader Laurie Cumbo (D-Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Crown Heights) along with support from Speaker Corey Johnson and fellow council members officially secured Weeksville Heritage Center as part of a group of institutions protected by the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA). This also marks the first black CIG in Brooklyn.
The groups with such designations receive grants to meet basic operating needs throughout the year. Just last month, Weeksville Heritage Center President and Executive Director Rob Fields of the organization sent out an email notifying the public that the center could close as soon as July due to “high operating costs and challenging fundraising environment for black cultural institutions”.
“Weeksville is sacred African American ground. For generations, it served as a beacon of hope for those seeking refuge from the vestiges of slavery. Supporting Weeksville as a Cultural Institutions Group is a recognition of African American longevity and a commitment from the city writ large,” said Cumbo.
The crowdfunding campaign which the center launched back in May with the hopes of raising $200,000 by June 30 is still active and as of press time has raised $266,472.
Fields previously noted that though the center received more than $450,000 from DCLA in FY19, the funding mostly went to programming, not maintenance and operational costs that is threatening the center’s closure. In FY19 DCLA provided $378,675 in program funding and $78,000 for energy, respectively.
Weeksville Heritage Center is a multidisciplinary museum dedicated to preserving the history of the 19th century African American community of Weeksville, Brooklyn – one of America’s many free black communities. Founded by James Weeks in the 1830s, the free black community at its height had about 500 residents in 1900, its own newspaper and established the Zion Home for Aged Colored and the Howard Colored Orphan Asylum and Berean Baptist Church.
The last institution added to the CIG was the Museum of Jewish Heritage in 1998. Most recently Weeksville attempted to get CIG status in 2013 but was denied, according to the New York Times, at a time when the institution was cash strapped following the addition of a new museum building.
The designation comes just two weeks after local lawmakers rallied together for the center and called on Mayor Bill de Blasio to secure the funding under the FY2020 budget.
“With the help of Speaker Corey Johnson, Cultural Affairs Chair Jimmy Van Bramer, Weeksville President Rob Fields, fellow council members Robert E. Cornegy Jr., Inez Barron, Alicka Samuel, Carlina Rivera, and many other leaders and community supporters who have stood with us firmly, Weeksville will continue to serve as a learning center for many years to come. I am so proud that New York City has made this critical commitment,” added Cumbo.
