Many CBH Talks were recorded. To view, visit the Center for Brooklyn History Talks YouTube channel at bklynlib.org/CBH-Talks.
Past Events
CBH Talk | The Battle for School Integration in the North
In 1974, two decades after Brown v. Board of Education, another Supreme Court decision – Milliken v. Bradley - effectively brought a halt to school desegregation across the North, shattering 20 years of progress towards equal education for all. The lawsuit, filed by the National…
CBH Talk | Glenn Adamson Discusses “A Century of Tomorrows: How Imagining the Future Shapes the Present”
What’s next? For millennia, predicting the future was the province of priests, prophets, astrologers, and seers. Then in the twentieth century futurologists emerged claiming that data and design could make planning a rational certainty. Cultural historian Glenn Adamson writes about…
CBH Talk | Zinga Fraser and Jeanne Theoharis Discuss “Shirley Chisholm: In Her Own Words”
Join us for a discussion with Dr. Zinga A. Fraser, whose new book Shirley Chisholm in Her Own Words, offers a long-overdue opportunity to read the congresswoman’s powerful words for ourselves. Chisholm’s speeches and writings on education, racism, women's rights, civil rights, and…
CBH Discussion | Reflections on the Religious Poetry of Jupiter Hammon
Jupiter Hammon was born into slavery in 1711 on the Long Island estate of Henry Lloyd. In 1760 he became one of the earliest if not the very first African-American to be published when his poem, An Evening Thought, appeared in print. Hammon was a devout Christian. His writings…
Center for Brooklyn History, Virtual Lunch and Learn-Exploring the Henry Lloyd Ledgers
Historical ledgers are often used in research and can provide information about accounts and financial transactions, including sales, purchases, amounts, names of account holders and even how the items were transported. Join us for a virtual lunch and learn, exploring historical ledgers, how to…
CBH Talk | Still Here, HIV/AIDS
December 1 is World AIDS Day, a time of solidarity for people around the world who are affected by Human Immunodeficiency Virus or HIV - and a time for all of us to reckon with its long legacy. Almost 40 million live with the virus, 1.3 million acquired it in 2023, and 630,000 people…
CBH Talk | Celebrating New York’s Ancestors of Latino Poetry: A Conversation and Performance
The work of New York poets José Martí, Salomón de la Selva, Julia de Burgos, Lourdes Casal, and Clemente Soto Vélez has shaped today’s thriving Latino Poetic tradition and our understanding of what it means to be American. These revolutionary voices represent a range of Latin American…
CBH Talk | Tommy Silk Discusses "Hidden Landmarks of New York" with Barry Bordelon of the Brownstone Boys
New York is a city of landmarks – more than 37,000 of them. Visitors and New Yorkers alike walk by hundreds of these landmarks daily, often never knowing the rich history behind them. One of these New Yorkers, Tommy Silk, has been photographing and chronicling one landmarked building…
The Salon at CBH, Curated by Nikole Hannah-Jones
We’re thrilled by the overwhelming response to the Salon. Please understand that we expect a full house. If we reach capacity our staff will admit as space becomes available. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to ensure a great experience for all.
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CBH Workshop | Exploring the Archives with Historian Prithi Kanakamedala
How do historians approach the vitally important work of conducting research in an archive? Where do they start? What is the process? And for those researching under-documented peoples and topics, how do they solve for the silences in the archives?
Join historian…
NYCHD 2025: Crafting an Argument
In this virtual workshop we will learn about how to turn our research into a historical argument. We will discuss what a thesis statement is and how to write our own. Come ready with a topic and questions the NYCHD Coordinator!
Open to all NYC teachers and students. Teachers will be…
CBH Talk | Mourning and Adorning: Woven Hair Jewelry and Victorian Mourning Traditions
Mourning jewelry – jewelry created to remember deceased loved ones – dates back to the Middle Ages, but its popularity in Western Europe reached a peak with Queen Victoria whose mourning customs following Prince Albert’s death were imitated throughout Britain and beyond. In addition…
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