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Richardson, Elsie, 2008 January 22, inclusive

Scope and Contents

In part one of the interview, Elsie Richardson discusses the founding of the Central Brooklyn Coordinating Council (CBCC) in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. She recalls the 1966 walking tour of Bedford-Stuyvesant with Senators Kennedy and Javits, a key event in the formation of Restoration. She remembers Restoration's early years, including the initial cleavage between Restoration and the Bedford-Stuyvesant Development and Services Corporation. Richardson reminisces about the archaeological discovery of the town of Weeksville, a post-slavery African American settlement in Brooklyn. She offers thoughts on today's school system and youth culture, as well as life in Brooklyn circa the 1960s. Richardson's granddaughter and great grandson join the conversation in later moments. The last few minutes comprise part two, conducted via telephone. Richardson shares behind-the-scenes classism and sexism at the time of Restoration's founding. Interview conducted by Deborah Jones with Sady Sullivan.

Biographical / Historical

Elsie Richardson was born in Manhattan in 1922 and grew up in the East Harlem neighborhood known as "El Barrio." Richardson moved to Brooklyn in 1946, around the time of her wedding, and lived with her family in the Albany Projects before settling in a long-term home on Prospect Place. A public school secretary by day, Richardson was otherwise an engaged community leader who co-founded the Central Brooklyn Coordinating Council (CBCC) and was essential in the creation of the nation's first non-profit community development corporation, Restoration. In February 1966, Richardson led Senators Robert F. Kennedy and Jacob Javits on the famous tour of the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, which resulted in the formation of Restoration. Richardson held a bachelor's degree from Pratt Institute and a master's degree from the New School for Social Research. She had three children. Elsie Richardson died in Brooklyn in 2012.

Conditions Governing Access and Use

Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. 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