Fishman, Alan: Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation oral histories: NYU Special Collections Finding Aids

Scope and Contents

In this interview, Alan Fishman remembers growing up on the basketball courts of the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, a period he recalls as important in his development. Fishman recounts Restoration's emergence from a time of financial challenges and discontinuity of leadership. He describes a collaboration between the Brooklyn Academy of Music and Restoration in the Dance Africa program, noting the rarity of such successful ventures. Fishman discusses the evolution of Bedford-Stuyvesant and the essential role played by cultural and leadership centers in the maintenance of a vibrant community. Interview conducted by Sady Sullivan.

Biographical / Historical

Alan Fishman grew up in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, where he played competitive basketball throughout the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn and attended Erasmus Hall High School. He attended Brown University as an undergraduate and holds a master's degree in economics from Columbia University. A commercial banker, Fishman's involvement with Restoration began in 1969. At the time of the 2008 interview, Fishman was a former president of Independence Community Bank, the current chairman of the Independence Community Foundation, the current chairman of the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and a significant supporter of Restoration.

Conditions Governing Access and Use

Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library and online on the Oral History Portal. Use of the oral histories other than for private study, scholarship, or research requires permission from BHS by contacting library@brooklynhistory.org.

Subjects

Organizations

Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation; Brooklyn Academy of Music

Topics

Places

Bedford-Stuyvesant (New York, N.Y.); Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.); New York (N.Y.)

Fishman, Alan, 2008 May 14, inclusive