By Amanda Moses
Black History Month (February 1st to February 28th) is an annual observance of important figures and events throughout history. This commemorative period was first established as a weeklong observance known in 1926 as national “Negro History Week,” by the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. During the 1960s, activists from the civil rights movement urged authority figures to expand Negro History Week. However, it was not until 1976 when President Gerald R. Ford proclaimed February to be officially recognized as Black History Month.
In honor of this month-long celebration, the Spring Creek Sun compiled a list of Black-led businesses and organizations in the community and all-around New York City. These trailblazers have dedicated their lives becoming entrepreneurs and bettering their neighborhood, as well creating local programing for at-risk youth.
Susie Williams, the Founder & President of Sisters With Purpose (SWP): Williams created SWP back in 2010, and since then has run a food pantry within Spring Creek Towers (SCT) as well as other activities that help promote cultural enrichment and leadership training—all in an effort to improve the quality of life for youth and families in the East New York Community. In March 2020, Williams and her organization once again stepped up for SCT by hosting a food pantry during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sisters With Purpose (SWP) managed to push through the business shutdowns and closures and continued to host their bi-weekly food pantry at the Brooklyn Sports Club (BSC).
Williams observed how the coronavirus has affected jobs and caused a panic shopping spree, which in turn left many empty shelves at grocery stores. She received several frantic calls from those who rely on her organization’s bi-weekly distribution of food, and at that moment she knew that SWP needed to push forward. Since then, SWP continues to come to the aid of the community providing baby formula when there was a shortage, hot meals on occasion, and non-perishable items.
Youth Officer, Charles Royster and YAP Director, Eileen Level: In 2020, the Department of Public Safety hired Charles Royster as the new community Youth Officer with the purpose of building a strong bond between adolescents in the community and local officers. Officer Royster grew up in the East New York Community and has for 20 years worked in youth services, and it was through this experience that over the past three years, he has been able to provide a welcoming hand to the community as well as help establish the Young Adult Program (YAP) with Co-ounder and Director Eileen Level. Together this dynamic duo has developed a successful program that invites individuals over the age of 18, many of whom have aged out of the Teen Central Program, to continue to utilize the Brooklyn Sports Club’s lower-level community center as a safe haven.
YAP allows young adults to compete in fun tournaments, anime talks, movie nights, physical activities, college workshops, and discuss the overall plan for their future. Level, who has worked for many years with Spring Creek Towers’ Teen Central and developed PaleFO Cinema, a film festival for at-risk communities in the Canarsie/East New York area, so she is no stranger to creating well-rounded programming for youth, so when she saw that there was an age group that was not receiving much needed attention, she stepped forward and partnered with Officer Royster.
Andrew Walcott, owner of Fusion East Restaurant: In 2015 Walcott opened his restaurant that truly is a fusion between Caribbean and Soul Food in Brooklyn. While others might seek out to start their new business venture in Manhattan, Walcott saw a need to draw culinary traffic to East New York, helping to provide traditional delights such as ox tail, jerk chicken, shrimp and grits, and more. Located near the Gateway Mall, Walcott’s restaurant goes beyond simple catering and works to help those in need as well. Fusion East restaurant has been known to partner with Sisters With Purpose to provide hot meals during food pantry distributions, as well as launching a Fusion East truck during the height of the pandemic.
See the next issue of the Spring Creek Sun for more local, black-led organizations that have helped impact the community.
