The Brownstoners of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Inc. was organized in 1978 by a small group of friends and neighbors who wanted to make a contribution to their great community. The founding members included George Glee, Jr., Bernard McDonald, Reginald Shell, Brenda Fryson, Gloria Green and Clarence Jones. They organized the Brownstoners as a civic organization that would attract people from all walks of life who were willing to roll up their sleeves and become part of the vibrant network of residents who were waging a fierce battle for the survival of this community.

In those days, urban renewal meant urban destruction and displacement, and people all over the neighborhood were determined to hold onto Bedford-Stuyvesant’s magnificent housing stock. Yet young people and families were leaving in alarming numbers, shaken by relentless negative media publicity about the neighborhood; poor and unresponsive public services, and the banking institutions policy of redlining. They were leaving the homes, apartment buildings and commercial properties that their parents and grandparents, those first generations of African Americans from the South and the Caribbean, had labored to acquire. This circumstance became the basis for the Brownstoners first major initiative…to stop the fight by actively encouraging disillusioned residents and those who had already left to “Come on Home to Bed-Stuy.” The annual house tour was the means to that end. This event helped to reshape the media’s concept of the community, and the way it reported on our daily lives. It sparked renewed pride in people who still lived here. It encouraged thousands of African Americans, young and not so young, to become part of a thriving and welcoming community.

The goal of helping to revitalize the community through building a strong home ownership based was only the beginning. Our major service projects have consistently focused on education, economic development, housing and community activism. The Brownstoners is a “hands-on” organization that maximizes its resources through the wealth of skills that our members freely share. Our tradition of “taking’ it to the streets” is a strategy that has reached every corner of this community through initiatives such as our tax lien outreach project and voter registration drives. We have entered the twenty first century with the voices of those community leaders who kept Bedford-Stuyvesant alive still ringing in our ears. We intended to keep the fire under their legacy.

Decades later, our motto, “Come on Home to Bed-Stuy,” is even more relevant. For the Brownstoners, “Home” is a spiritual place for the next generation of children of the African Diaspora, as well as for those families that make Bedford-Stuyvesant a jewel of diversity among New York’s sparkling mosaic of neighborhoods, each with its own rich culture.

The Brownstoners of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Inc. is a not-for-profit, volunteer service organization that is dedicated to the continued preservation, revitalization, and enhancement of our community.

Come On Home to Bed-Stuy

Goals

To develop and support programs that will provide affordable housing opportunities for present community residents

To develop and support programs that will encourage potential residents to “Come on Home to Bed-Stuy”

To develop and support educational initiatives that will lead to the strengthening of the public school system in Bedford-Stuyvesant

To raise funds for scholarships to outstanding seniors from Boys and Girls High School who will be attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities

To foster local entrepreneurship

To promote economic development projects that are beneficial to the Bedford-Stuyvesant Community

To promote the positive image of Bedford-Stuyvesant as a good place to live and raise a family

To work in collaboration with other organizations that are committed to the continued revitalization of Bedford-Stuyvesant

Renee Turner-Gregory
President

Evelyn Collier
Vice President for Community Development

Lorrie Ayers-Hutchinson
Vice-President for Organizational Development

Daniel Hobson
Treasurer

Name Lastname
Committee Chair of Community Action

Name Lastname
Committee Co-Chair of Community Action

Anna Bloodworth
Committee Chair of Economic Development

Jamal Reid
Committee Co-Chair of Economic Development

David Matthews
Committee Chair of Education

Name Lastname
Committee Co-Chair of Education

Name Lastname
Committee Chair of Housing

Name Lastname
Committee Co-Chair of Housing

Name Lastname
Committee Chair of Membership

Name Lastname
Committee Co-Chair of Membership

Name Lastname
Committee Chair of Public Relations

Name Lastname
Committee Co-Chair of Public Relations

Name Lastname
Committee Chair of Resource Development

Name Lastname
Committee Co-Chair of Resource Development

Name Lastname
Committee Chair of Technology

Name Lastname
Committee Co-Chair of Technology