Last week in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, there was a groundbreaking for a cultural center that is slated to be completed by 2010. The cultural center will be home to a new learning facility, and a performance arts theater. The outdoor area of the center has already been unveiled. The open-air courtyard was designed by Brooklyn teens, and is designated for use by the community's senior citizens.The location of the yet-unnamed cultural center is in a part of Bed-Stuy that is rich with history. This particular section of Bedford-Stuyvesant is called, "Weeksville." It derived its moniker from James Weeks. According to the Weeksville Society's website, James Weeks was an African American who purchased the land- which now bears his name- in 1838. He brought the land from Henry Thompson, who was also a "free African American."
Weeksville was the residence of many pioneering African Americans, including: the first Black female doctor in New York, and NYC's first Black police officer. Weeksville is also noted for being a prosperous, self-sustaining community. According to www.Weeksvillesociety.org, "Weeksville had its own schools and churches, an orphanage, an old age home, and one of the first African-American newspapers- the Freedman's Torchlight. During the violent draft riots of 1863, the community served as a refuge for hundreds of African-Americans who fled Manhattan."
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