Third Rail Eps 56: Tenant Matters

In this episode of Third Rail we focus on those in Central Brooklyn who are on the front line of gentrification: tenants and renters. This past June, Governor Cuomo signed into law a sweeping new collection of rent regulations which re-set the bar for tenant protections and curtailed the power of landlords to dictate rates […]

Third Rail Eps 55: A Plant Grows in Brooklyn

Cannabis or Marijuana use in a Black area like Central Brooklyn has always been a complex issue. While many people call marijuana use a “gateway” to heavier drug addiction, the reality is, getting picked up by the police for distributing or using weed has been a gateway to the criminal justice system. In this episode […]

Third Rail Eps 54: Black Brooklyn Oscars

In a special post Academy Award edition of Third Rail, we indulge our twin loves, BK and movies, by paying homage  — and occasional shade — to Black Brooklyn through the lens of cinema. Specifically, we pose the question, what are the best Black Brooklyn movies ever made? Joining Third Rail host Mark Winston Griffith […]

Third Rail Eps. 53 Central Brooklyn Food: Unifier or Gentrifier?

Food, one of the most potent cultural forces in American life, represents our ability to come together across tribal lines, especially during the holidays. At the same time, in Central Brooklyn and other gentrifying cities, where restaurants and groceries stores are not just markers of distinct tastes and cuisines, but of race and class privilege, […]

Third Rail Eps 50: What’s The 911?

The shooting of Saheed Vassell by the NYPD on April 4th in Crown Heights re-ignited a chronic community safety debate: What kind of discretion should we use in calling the police when we know that it can result in a death sentence for an unsuspecting Black person?   Today, we investigate what runs through people’s […]

Third Rail Eps 46: Weeksville, The Past as Destiny

Gentrification has many of us thinking, just how long does one of America’s largest Black Community have before it is disappeared? We discuss Weeksville, Brooklyn’s first free Black Community with guests, Vivian Warfield whose family has a long Brooklyn lineage, and historian Aimee VonBokel. Segment One: Mark and Veralyn talk to Vivian about her commitment and descendancy to […]

Third Rail Eps 44: Summer Black

If there is any question about what Black culture remains in Brooklyn, all you have to do is check out the summer scene on the streets of Brownsville, Bed-Stuy, Crown Heights, Fort Greene and even Dumbo where festivals and block parties celebrate Brooklyn negritude. Mark, Veralyn and guests, Zawadi Morris, Editor of BK Reader, and […]

Third Rail Eps 43.5: Blewish Part Two: The easy myths and hard truths of Black-Jewish relations.

In this special mini-episode we continue our conversation about Black-Orthodox Jewish relations and take a look at the conflicts between two othered communities in one area, Crown Heights. Mark talks to Leo Ferguson a leader in Jews for Economic and Racial Justice (JFREJ) about equating Jewishness with whiteness, the similarities and differences of Black and Jewish […]

Third Rail Eps 43: Blewish: The easy myths and hard truths of Black-Jewish relations.

Crown Heights is America’s most infamous Black-Orthodox Jewish conflict zone. Mark and Veralyn explore the intersections of these identities with Chava Shervington, a Black orthodox woman who spent 5 years in Crown Heights, but now lives in California. Joining us remotely, Chava reflects on dueling narratives of Black anti-semitism and Jewish racism. Segment One: We […]

Brooklyn Deep is LIVE on Kickstarter – And We Need You To Act

We are proud to announce our first-ever crowdfunding campaign, now live on Kickstarter.   Here’s the thing: this is an ALL OR NOTHING campaign – if we don’t hit our goal of $15,000, we don’t get a dime.   That $15k will help us keep Third Rail going, hire additional journalists, and help us lay […]