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McRae, Bernice, 2008 April 11, inclusive

Scope and Contents

In this interview, Bernice McCrae recalls her start at Restoration and subsequent move to the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. A Restoration employee for over thirty years, McCrae says Restoration is the only true employer she's ever had. McCrae describes three decades of the neighborhood's evolution; much of it greatly influenced by the social, cultural, and economic interventions spearheaded by Restoration. In great detail, she discusses her position in Restoration's small business loan foundation, capital fund, and entrepreneurship education. Interview conducted by Bahati Williams.

Biographical / Historical

Bernice McCrae grew up in Georgia and moved to the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn as a young adult. She was a long-time employee of Restoration. At the time of the 2008 interview, she had worked there for thirty years, and held the position of director of small business services, where she worked in consulting would-be local entrepreneurs about business ownership, and mentored them through the loan application process for the Restoration revolving loan fund.

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.

Center for Brooklyn History
128 Pierrepont Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201