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, […]

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 […]

Brooklyn Deep Wins Gracie Award for Radio Rookies First-Hand Account of School Segregation!

Brooklyn Deep, in association with WNYC radio, has been honored with a Gracie Award, a competition sponsored by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation. Seven Schools Later: One Student’s View of Segregation, reported by Brooklyn Deep and Radio Rookie reporter, Alexia Richbourg, was recognized in the “local non-commercial documentary” category for  “exemplary programming created by women, for women and […]

Airbnb as a Racial Gentrification Tool?

A new study by the Airbnb activist project, Inside Airbnb was released today, and is being made exclusively available, on the Brooklyn Deep web-site. The study claims that it has data which shows that Airbnb acts as a racial gentrification tool in New York City’s predominantly Black neighborhoods. “Across all 72 predominantly Black New York City neighborhoods, Airbnb hosts are […]

LGBTQ in a Gentrifying Central Brooklyn

LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer) communities have a long history with gentrification narratives. Developers and privileged millennials are the typical faces of gentrification in a historically low- and moderate-income area like Central Brooklyn, but there are many who also see the presence a certain type of white, able-bodied LGBTQ person as an indicator […]

Where Are They Now: From Bed-Stuy to Williamsburg

Brooklyn Deep: Who is a part of your household? Jessica Ababon: I live with my husband Joshua and our dog, Butters. BKD: Where did you live in Central Brooklyn? JA: 1865 Fulton Street, so that’s like Ralph Avenue and Fulton Street. I grew up there until college. I moved to Bushwick after that. BKD: Did you […]

Life on Dean Street

From the tree-covered stoops of their brownstones, residents of Dean Street, between Nostrand and New York Avenues, have seen a number of changing faces over the past decade. Boasting some of the neighborhood’s most active and influential residents, this block is now more diverse than ever as new residents integrate themselves into the tight-knit community […]