Many CBH Talks were recorded. To view, visit the Center for Brooklyn History Talks YouTube channel at bklynlib.org/CBH-Talks.
Past Events
NYC History Day: Center for Brooklyn History Student Archive Visit, Starting your Research
Join the NYC History Day Team for a visit to the Center for Brooklyn History's Othmer Library. Attendees will explore our collections, learn how to research in an archive, and get tips on how to use archival research in History Day projects. We will discuss the many kinds of questions…
Center for Brooklyn History Open House for College and University Faculty and Students
College and university students and faculty are invited to join us at the Center for Brooklyn History, at the Brooklyn Public Library, for an open house event on Thursday, November 6th from 6:00pm to 7:30pm.
Come mix and mingle with other students and faculty interested in researching…
CBH Talk | Ray Madoff and Avery Trufelman Discuss “The Second Estate”
No political force has shaped American life more profoundly—yet remained more impenetrable—than the 7,000-page U.S. tax code. We all sense the system is unfair, but few truly understand how. In The Second Estate: How the Tax Code Made an American Aristocracy, legal scholar Ray Madoff reveals how…
CBH Family Program: Brooklyn Stories & Art with Author-Illustrator Selina Alko
Award-winning author-illustrator Selina Alko brings her vibrant celebration of urban culture to life in this interactive program.Participants will learn about Selina's creative journey, enjoy a reading of her beloved picture book "B Is for Brooklyn," and participate in a Q&A session.…
CBH Talk | Tourmaline and Hugh Ryan Discuss “Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson”
Join Black transgender luminary Tourmaline for a conversation about her definitive biography of the revolutionary activist Marsha P. Johnson. Moderated by Hugh Ryan.
Rumor has it that after Marsha P. Johnson threw the first brick in the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, she picked up a shard of…
NYC History Day: Choosing a Topic Student Workshop
In this virtual workshop we will consider how to choose a topic for this year's History Day theme, "Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History." Students will gain a better understanding of the 2026 theme as well as strategies to brainstorm a topic for their own History Day project. Come ready with…
CBH Talk | Stolen Relations: Recovering the History of Native American Enslavement
The Stolen Relations project is a tribally collaborative initiative to recover, interpret, and share with the public the long-hidden history of Native American enslavement. Developed over the past decade and formally launched in May 2025 (www.stolenrelations.org), the project brings together a…
CBH Family Program: Brooklyn Stories & Art with Author-Illustrator Nat Cardozo
Join author-illustrator Nat Cardozo for a special storytime reading of Origin: An illuminating look at Indigenous peoples and their connection to the natural world!Embark on a journey across continents as Nat shares stunning portraits and stories of Indigenous children and their…
Teacher Workshop: History Day in your Classroom
Join us at the Center for Brooklyn History for a crash course in New York City History Day (NYCHD). NYCHD is the regional contest for National History Day, a program where students in grades 6-12 create projects based on original historical research and analysis. Learn how to incorporate…
CBH Talk | Jelani Cobb and Salamishah Tillet Discuss “Three or More Is a Riot”
Acclaimed historian, Pulitzer Prize finalist, staff writer at The New Yorker, and dean of Columbia Journalism School Jelani Cobb’s latest book is a searing portrait of America’s last turbulent decade. In Three or More Is a Riot: Notes on How We Got Here, 2012–2025, Cobb chronicles the rise of…
Walking Tour of East New York
Farrah Lafontant and Zulmilena Then, of Preserving East New York (PENY), an advocacy group dedicated to safeguarding the historic buildings defining the vibrant community of East New York (ENY), invite you to explore the rich architectural and cultural heritage of the neighborhood and experience…
CBH Hosts the 2025 Liberación Film Festival: Two Days of Films, Music, and Conversation | Day 2
The Center for Brooklyn History is excited to partner with the Afrolatino Festival NYC, and the Afrolatin@ Project for the return of the Liberación Film Festival - 5th Edition. This year’s curatorial focus on Panamá, in collaboration with the Day of Independence Committee for Panamanians in New…
Get Social with CBH
Become a CBH Supporter
Whether through membership or a one-time gift, your support helps connect the past to the present and makes Brooklyn's vibrant history tangible, relevant, and meaningful for today's diverse communities—and generations to come. Support us here.
Subscribe to Our Emails
Sign up to start getting our weekly programming updates, plus our popular Photo of the Week series.
Contact Us
For general inquiries regarding the Center for Brooklyn History, you can call us, email us, or submit a research request.