Places We Gather

An audio tour of community care and mutual aid

A graphic with icons for the podast, Places We Gather

In this audio tour, you’ll hear Fort Greene residents and community members share stories about important gathering places, changes in the neighborhood, mutual aid initiatives, and memories of individuals coming together to support one another. Listen to the tour outside while on a guided walk in the neighborhood, or enjoy the tour from home, the library, or wherever you choose to listen. The guided walk takes an estimated 1-1.5 hours to complete. 

Places We Gather is a collaboration between Interference Archive and Brooklyn Public Library. This tour was produced by Elena Levi, Yifan Xia, Chapin Montague, and Ali Post, with help from Palace Shaw and Evren Uzer. Liza Yeager is our editor and sound designer. Sarah Lopez designed our map. The project transcripts are translated to Spanish by chivita espacial.

  • If you don't want to stream the tour online, you can listen by borrowing an audio listening device from the Clinton Hill Library. Place a hold here (holds can only be picked up at the Clinton Hill Branch), or visit Clinton Hill to learn more.
  • To read further about some of the topics we explore on the audio tour, check out the Places We Gather booklist. 

Thank you to Alex Mouiyos, Margaret Day, and the team at Walt Whitman Library; Tracy Montrone, and the team at Clinton Hill Library; The BPL Incubator staff; Interference Archive volunteers; Acoustiguide; Virginia Marshall; Damla Bek; Myron Baer; Myrna Jefferson; DK ; Mary Cole; And all of the people that we interviewed for this project for openly sharing your experiences and perspectives with us.

Individuals whose voices are featured in the audio tour (in order of appearance)
  • Ms. Denise Evans, Original Fort Greener, since 1958
  • Karen Thompson, Original Fort Greener, since 1949
  • Julie Sharpton, President of the Whitman Houses Resident Association
  • Alex Mouyios, Walt Whitman Library Branch Manager, BPL
  • Margaret Day, Walt Whitman Library Assistant Branch Manager, BPL
  • Janis Russell, Director of the Lafayette Inspirational Ensemble at Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church
  • Edward Moran, longtime member, Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church
  • Kristina Garrity, volunteer, One Love Community Fridge
  • Asmeret Berhe-Lumax, Founder, One Love Community Fridge
  • Delmy M. Lendof, volunteer, Hall Street Shelter Volunteers
  • Tamar Ettun, artist and Kid Zone organizer with Hall Street Shelter Volunteers
  • Lizzie Presser, journalist and Kid Zone organizer with Hall Street Shelter Volunteers
  • Prithi Kanakamedala, Professor of History, Bronx Community College and the CUNY Graduate Center, and a public historian based in New York City.
  • S. Kesha Morse, President of the Navy Yard Housing, Development Fund Corporation, President of the Federation of Black Cowboys.
Music used in the tour
 
Download and print the walking path map here.

BKLYN Incubator is supported by generous funding provided by the Charles H. Revson Foundation.

 

Season 1, Segment 1

Places We Gather: The Library

An introduction to the Places We Gather audio tour and to Walt Whitman Library. This stop explores the role that the library plays in the community from the point of view of librarians and library patrons.

Done with this segment of the tour? Next, listen to Segment 2 or head back to the homepage to pick a different segment. 

Season 1, Segment 2

Places We Gather: Art

In this segment, listeners hear from Ms. Denise Evans, who speaks about the Ingersoll Houses Community Center where she teaches art classes. Ms. Denise reflects on the important role the community center plays in the neighborhood and the positive impact of art therapy. 

Done with this segment of the tour? Next, listen to Segment 3 or head back to the homepage to pick a different segment. 

Season 1, Segment 3

Places We Gather: Choir

This segment includes interviews with Janis Russell and Edward Moran, who each independently moved to Fort Greene in the 1980s, and are members of the Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church (LAPC) in the neighborhood. 

Done with this segment of the tour? Next, listen to Segment 4 or head back to the homepage to pick a different segment. 

Season 1, Segment 4

Places We Gather: Food

In this segment, listeners hear about One Love Community Fridge, an organization established during the peak of the pandemic to feed community members. Asmeret Berhe-Lumax and Kristina Garrity speak about the community fridge formerly located on Myrtle Avenue. 

Done with this segment of the tour? Next, listen to Segment 5 or head back to the homepage to pick a different segment. 

Season 1, Segment 5

Places We Gather: Distribution

This segment is about Hall Street Shelter Volunteers, a mutual aid group established to distribute food, clothing, supplies to asylum seekers temporarily housed in the shelter on Hall Street, which has closed since the time of the interview. Volunteers Delmy Lendof, Tamar Ettun, and Lizzie Presser talk about building community through this work.

Done with this segment of the tour? Next, listen to Segment 6 or head back to the homepage to pick a different segment. 

Season 1, Segment 6

Places We Gather: Education

In this segment, public historian Prithi Kanakamedala, professor of history at Bronx Community College and the CUNY Graduate Center, talks about the roots of mutual aid organizing in Fort Greene, and in Brooklyn more broadly, in the 19th Century.

Done with this segment of the tour? Next, listen to Segment 7 or head back to the homepage to pick a different segment. 

Season 1, Segment 7

Places We Gather: Celebration

This segment is about Commodore Barry Park, past and present. Ms. Denise Evans shares memories about the establishment of the public pool located in the park. She also talks about Old Timers Day, a day to honor elders in the neighborhood, held in the park annually. 

Done with this segment of the tour? Next, listen to Segment 8 or head back to the homepage to pick a different segment. 

Season 1, Segment 8

Places We Gather: Organizing

To end the tour, we look at some of the ways that residents have advocated for changes in their neighborhood.   

Done with this segment of the tour? Restart the tour, listen to Segment 1 or head back to the homepage to pick a different segment.