Genevieve S. Brooks Brown papers
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Abstract
Papers of Genevieve S. Brooks Brown (b. 1937), the first woman to serve as Deputy Bronx Borough President (1990–1998). As a community activist who formed and served on the boards of myriad neighborhood organizations during the 1970s and 1980s—notably the Mid-Bronx Desperadoes (officially the MBD Community Housing Corporation)—she helped transform an area President Carter called "the worst slum in America" into one with affordable housing in a suburban-like setting.
Biographical note
Genevieve Brooks Brown was born Genevieve Smith on July 12, 1937, one of four daughters of cotton farmers Anderson and Birdie Lee (Hill) Smith of Anderson, South Carolina. She graduated from the Anderson County Training School in 1954, and moved the following year to New York City, where she lived in Manhattan with an aunt and uncle while attending the Combination Business School on 125th Street in Harlem. Her coursework there (she received a diploma in 1959) in shorthand, typing, and addressograph machine operation allowed her to find employment as an executive secretary, and later as a bookkeeper and an office manager. She later moved to her own apartment in the Bronx, where a neighbor introduced her to Herbert Lee Brooks (1934–1971), a building inspector for the City of New York, whom she married in 1962.
The couple eventually settled at 1555 Seabury Place, an apartment building in Crotona Park East, which was then a thriving neighborhood of families who patronized local businesses. As working-class White and African-American residents began departing the area for newer developments like Co-op City, the once-stable area declined rapidly. When Brooks pointed out her building's neglect to the landlord, he said she was the only one to complain and suggested she move to a more upscale location on Park Avenue or somewhere in Queens. When she urged fellow tenants to voice their concerns, they received the same non-response. This ignited her interest in community activism, and led her to organize the 1555 Seabury Tenants' Association, the first of many groups on whose boards she served and that shared the common goal of bettering the lives and working conditions for residents of the Bronx.
In 1974 Genevieve Brooks convened with church leaders and local organizations to form the "Mid-Bronx Desperadoes" (officially incorporated as the MBD Community Housing Corporation), which, as of today, has created over 5,000 units of affordable housing. The MBD's most well-known project, Charlotte Gardens—a mix of modern apartment buildings and smaller, ranch-style homes in a tree-lined setting—rose on the rubble of Charlotte Street, the blighted state of which came to national attention after the visits of Presidents Carter and Reagan in 1977 and 1980.
Brooks's tireless activism brought her to the attention of Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer, who recognized her as "an architect of the New Bronx." He appointed her Deputy Bronx Borough President in April 1990. She was the first woman in the post, which she held until January 1998. During her tenure she hosted the visits of such notable figures as President Bill Clinton and New York's Governor Mario Cuomo, and in 1997 received the National Civic League's All-America City Award on behalf of the Bronx.
Brooks married her second husband, John Brown (b. 1935) on June 21, 2000, and soon after retired with him to her native South Carolina, where she continues to be active in church affairs and as chairperson of the AARP Anderson Chapter 3693.
[This note draws on biographical sketches found in Box 1, Folder 5.]
Arrangement
The collection is organized in five series devised by the processing archivist. Material within each series is ordered chronologically. Note that throughout the collection there is overlapping coverage among the organizations with which Brooks Brown was concurrently involved.
- Series I.
- Personal, 1947-2000s
- Series II.
- Activism, 1970-2025
- Series III.
- Mid-Bronx Desperadoes / MBD Community Housing Corporation, 1975-2024
- Series IV.
- Deputy Bronx Borough President, 1990-1997
- Series V.
- Photographs, 1950s-2024
- Series VI.
- Audiovisual and digital, 1997, 2019
Scope and Contents
The Genevieve S. Brooks Brown Papers reflect their creator's community activism in the Bronx during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, when she founded, worked with (often in a voluntary capacity), or served on the boards of such organizations as the Seabury Place Block Association, the Seabury Day Care Center, the Bronx Model Cities Policy Committee, the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), and B.U.L.B. (Black United Leadership in the Bronx). [See Series II.]
Perhaps the most publicized of Brooks Brown's activities was the creation in 1974 of the Mid-Bronx Desperadoes (officially the MBD Community Housing Corporation), in which she drew together representatives from area churches and local associations to address the desperate situation (hence the group's name) faced by residents of Crotona Park East, who were plagued by arson, crime, and the closure of businesses. President Carter visited Charlotte Street, the most decayed section of the neighborhood in 1977, infamously calling it "the worst slum in America." President Regan, in 1980, compared it to "burned-out London in World War II." Following this, The MBD, in conjunction with New York City's South Bronx Development Office, successfully transformed the rubble into Charlotte Gardens, a community of ranch-style homes on tree-lined streets. [See Series III.]
Brooks Brown was appointed Deputy Bronx Borough President by then-President Fernando Ferrer. During her tenure from 1990 until 1998, she coordinated agency professionals and community-based organizations in the planning and improving of housing and municipal service delivery, while overseeing a staff of 150. [See Series IV.]
The collection includes photographs from Brooks Brown's many activities, some of them documenting parades she marshalled (like the Bronx African Caribbean Heritage Parade with Reverend Al Sharpton, 1996) and events she hosted (like the visit of President Bill Clinton to the Madison Boys & Girls Club, 1997). [See Series V.] It also includes the audio files and printed transcripts of interviews she and a number of associates gave to Julie Sandorf in December, 2019. [See Series VI.]
A small amount of personal material, such as Brooks Brown's high school diploma (1954) and certificates from her secretarial courses at the Harlem-based Combination Business School (1959), rounds out the collection. [See Series I.]
Subjects
Organizations
Genres
Topics
Access Restrictions
This collection may be stored offsite. To arrange to consult it, please go to www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.
Use Restrictions
Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org.
Preferred Citation
The collection should be cited as: Genevieve S. Brooks Brown Papers, MS 3258, The New York Historical.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The papers are the gift of Genevieve Brooks Brown, 2025 (accession MS-2025-009). The oral history files and transcripts in Series VI are the gift of Julie Sandorf, 2023 (accession MS-2023-030).
About this Guide
Processing Information
Archivist Joseph Ditta arranged and described this collection in January 2026. Digital archivist Margo Padilla transferred the digital files off a Zoom H1n Handy Recorder and two DVDs to New York Historical servers, which can be made available online for viewing/listening only. To arrange to receive a file manifest, or a link to the desired digital files, contact reference@nyhistory.org.
Repository
Series I. Personal, 1947-2000s, inclusive
Family history, 1947, 2003, 2013, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Includes a note certifying Genevieve Smith's membership in the Mountain Spring Baptist Church, Anderson, South Carolina (1947), and "The Living History of the Hill and Anderson Families of Anderson, SC" (2003), listing Genevieve (Smith) Brooks Brown, her parents, and sisters on page 4 of Section IV, "Descendants of Silas Hill."
Anderson Training High School, 1953-1954, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Contains Genevieve Smith's 12th-grade report card for 1953-54, her diploma (includes a printed class roll), and a program for the graduating exercies of the Anderson County Training School, May 26, 1954. See also graduation photos in Box 2, Folder 15.
Combination Business School (139 West 125th Street, Manhattan), 1957, 1959, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Certificates awarded to Genevieve Smith (1957) in "Accounting I," "Alphabetic Filing," "Gregg Shorthand — Comprehensive Theory," "Monitor Switchboard Operator, " "Under Junior Addressograph Machine Operator," and "Under Junior Typist," culminating in a certificate in "Secretarialship" (1959). See also graduation photos in Box 2, Folder 16.
New York City Board of Elections voter card, 1990 October 9
Résumés, biographies, honors, 1990s-2000s, inclusive
Series II. Activism, 1970-2025, undated, inclusive
Seabury Day Care Center [2 folders], 1970-2000, inclusive
Seabury Place Block Association, 1971-1977, inclusive
Bronx Model Cities Policy Committee, 1972, inclusive
Scope and Contents
"Bronx Plan 1968-72: A Report on the Bronx Model Cities Neighborhood."
LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation) [3 folders], 1985-2021, undated, inclusive
Center for National Policy, 1994-2001, inclusive
BOEDC (Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation), 1997-1999, inclusive
B.U.L.B. ("Black United Leadership in the Bronx" or "Black United Leaders of the Bronx"), 1999-2003, undated, inclusive
Later activism and activities [6 folders], 1998-2025, undated, inclusive
Series III. Mid-Bronx Desperadoes / MBD Community Housing Corporation, 1975-2024, inclusive
MBD | Correspondence, ephemera, reports, speeches, etc., 1975-1979, inclusive
MBD | Correspondence, ephemera, reports, speeches, etc., 1981-1985, inclusive
MBD | Correspondence, ephemera, reports, speeches, etc., 1986-1987, inclusive
[DVD] "Good Morning America" segment on Bronx redevelopment, [1987 June 30]
Restricted
The digital files have been transferred off two DVDs to New York Historical servers, and can be made available online for viewing/listening only. To arrange to receive a file manifest, or a link to the desired digital files, contact reference@nyhistory.org.
[Digital files] "Good Morning America" segment on Bronx redevelopment, [1987 June 30]
Conditions Governing Access
The digital files have been transferred off two DVDs to New York Historical servers, and can be made available online for viewing/listening only. To arrange to receive a file manifest, or a link to the desired digital files, contact reference@nyhistory.org. [ISO file MS3258_BrooksBrownBronxNYC_Video_S8248215100]
MBD | Correspondence, ephemera, reports, speeches, etc., 1988, inclusive
MBD | Correspondence, ephemera, reports, speeches, etc., 1989, inclusive
MBD | Correspondence, ephemera, reports, speeches, etc., 1990, inclusive
MBD | Correspondence, ephemera, reports, speeches, etc., 1991-1996, inclusive
[DVD] "MBD Mid Bronx Desperadoes Community Housing Corporation: Twenty Years of Service", 1995, inclusive
Restricted
The digital files have been transferred off two DVDs to New York Historical servers, and can be made available online for viewing/listening only. To arrange to receive a file manifest, or a link to the desired digital files, contact reference@nyhistory.org.
[Digital files] "MBD Mid Bronx Desperadoes Community Housing Corporation: Twenty Years of Service", 1995, inclusive
Conditions Governing Access
The digital files have been transferred off two DVDs to New York Historical servers, and can be made available online for viewing/listening only. To arrange to receive a file manifest, or a link to the desired digital files, contact reference@nyhistory.org. [ISO file MS3258_BrooksBrownBronxNYC_Video_S8248214700]
MBD | Correspondence, ephemera, reports, speeches, etc., 1997-1998, inclusive
MBD | Correspondence, ephemera, reports, speeches, etc., 2000, inclusive
MBD | Correspondence, ephemera, reports, speeches, etc., 2001-2024, inclusive
MBD | Correspondence, ephemera, reports, speeches, etc., undated, inclusive
Series IV. Deputy Bronx Borough President, 1990-1997, undated, inclusive
Deputy Bronx Borough President | Correspondence, ephemera, reports, speeches, etc., 1990, inclusive
Deputy Bronx Borough President | Correspondence, ephemera, reports, speeches, etc., 1991, inclusive
Deputy Bronx Borough President | Correspondence, ephemera, reports, speeches, etc., 1992, inclusive
Deputy Bronx Borough President | Correspondence, ephemera, reports, speeches, etc., 1993, inclusive
Deputy Bronx Borough President | Correspondence, ephemera, reports, speeches, etc., 1994, inclusive
Deputy Bronx Borough President | Correspondence, ephemera, reports, speeches, etc., 1995, inclusive
Deputy Bronx Borough President | Correspondence, ephemera, reports, speeches, etc., 1996, inclusive
Deputy Bronx Borough President | Correspondence, ephemera, reports, speeches, etc., 1997, inclusive
Deputy Bronx Borough President | Correspondence, ephemera, reports, speeches, etc., undated, inclusive
Series V. Photographs, 1950s-2024, undated, inclusive
Photographs, 1950s-1960s, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Includes high school graduation (1954) and first marriage (1962).
Photographs, 1970, 1972, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Includes Seabury Place Block Association and 1555 Seabury Place Tenants Association.
Photographs, 1973-1974, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Includes ceremonies at Tried Stone Baptist Church (February 1973) and Bronx Division Council of Churches Community Service Awards (December 1973).
Photographs, 1975, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Includes Seabury Place Block Association awards ceremony (June 1975).
Photographs: Seabury Day Care Center, 1970s-1980s, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Includes Seabury Day Care Center graduation ceremonies and other events.
Photographs, 1980-1985, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Includes childhood home (1049 Hill Road, Anderson, South Carolina), entrance to Mid-Bronx Desperadoes headquarters (1690 Vyse Avenue, Bronx, New York), and Hoe Avenue Boys and Girls Club ceremony with Matilda Cuomo (February 1981).
Photographs, 1986-1989, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Includes Brooke Russell Astor Award ceremony at New York Public Library (September 1989).
Photographs (undated), [circa 1980-1990], inclusive
Scope and Contents
Various portraits, groups, and ceremonies.
Photographs, 1990-1994, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Includes installation as Deputy Bronx Borough President under Fernando Ferrer, National Women's Political Caucus with Matilda Cuomo (1992), and volunteers at a park clean-up event (1993).
Photographs, 1995-1998, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Includes Bronx African Caribbean Heritage Parade with Rev. Al Sharpton (1996), Mid-Bronx Desperadoes' 22nd anniversary dinner dance (1997), and President Bill Clinton's visit to Madison Boys & Girls Club (1997).
Photographs (undated), [circa 1990-2000], inclusive
Scope and Contents
Various portraits, groups, and ceremonies, some with New York City Mayor David Dinkins and New York Governor Mario Cuomo.
Photographs, 2000, 2014, 2024, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Various portraits, groups, and ceremonies, a number in Anderson, South Carolina.
Photographs, undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Various portraits, groups, and ceremonies.
Series VI. Audiovisual and digital, 1997, 2019, inclusive
[VHS] All America City Award: "Bronx Video", 1997 November 7
Restricted
The New York Historical lacks equipment to play this VHS recording.
[Audio files] Julie Sandorf interviews with Genevieve Brooks Brown and others, 2019 December 2-5, inclusive
Conditions Governing Access
The digital files have been transferred off a Zoom H1n Handy Recorder to New York Historical servers, and can be made available online for listening only. To arrange to receive a file manifest, or a link to the desired digital files, contact reference@nyhistory.org.
[Transcripts] Julie Sandorf interviews with Genevieve Brooks Brown and others [11 parts], 2019 December 2-5, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Transcript 01 of 11: Julie Sandorf interview with Genevieve Brooks, Anderson, S.C. (part 1 of 3), December 2, 2019. [Audio file: 191202_1544.mp3]
Transcript 02 of 11: Julie Sandorf interview with Genevieve Brooks, Anderson, S.C. (part 2 of 3), December 2, 2019. [Audio file: 191202_1621.mp3]
Transcript 03 of 11: Julie Sandorf interview with Genevieve Brooks, Anderson, S.C. (part 3 of 3), December 2, 2019. [Audio file: 191202_1540.mp3]
Transcript 04 of 11: Julie Sandorf interview with Faith Line, Anderson County Library, Anderson, S.C., December 3, 2019. [Audio file: 191203_1004.mp3]
Transcript 05 of 11: Julie Sandorf interview with Genevieve Brooks, Anderson, S.C., December 3, 2019. [Audio file: 191203_1152.mp3]
Transcript 06 of 11: Julie Sandorf interview with Reverend Curtis Hill and other relatives (unidentified), Anderson, S.C., December 3, 2019. [Audio file: 191203_1326.mp3]
Transcript 07 of 11: Julie Sandorf interview with Cladys [Gladys?] Harrison (and Bonita Young), Pendleton, S.C., December 4, 2019. [Audio file: 191204_1058.mp3]
Transcript 08 of 11: Julie Sandorf interview with Beth Sparks Batson, Anderson, S.C., December 4, 2019. [Audio file: 191204_1314.mp3]
Transcript 09 of 11: Julie Sandorf interview with Dr. Bea Thompson, Anderson City Councilwoman, [Westside High School?], Anderson, S.C. (part 1 of 2), December 4, 2019. [Audio file: 191204_1535.mp3]
Transcript 10 of 11: Julie Sandorf interview with Dr. Bea Thompson, Anderson City Councilwoman, [Westside High School?], Anderson, S.C. (part 2 of 2), December 4, 2019. [Audio file: 191204_1658.mp3]
Transcript 11 of 11: Julie Sandorf interview with Rev. Dr. Dennis Tedder, First Presbyterian Church, Anderson, S.C., December 5, 2019. [Audio file: 191205_0912.mp3]