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Oral histories are intimate conversations between and among people who have generously agreed to share these recordings with BHS’s archives and researchers. Please listen in the spirit with which these were shared. BHS abides by the General Principles & Best Practices for Oral History as agreed upon by the Oral History Association and expects that use of this material will be done with respect for these professional ethics.
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[Last name, First name], Oral history interview conducted by [Interviewer’s First name Last name], [Month DD, YYYY], [Title of Collection], [Call #]; Brooklyn Historical Society.
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Joel Dabu
Oral history interview conducted by Bahati Williams
April 11, 2008
Call number: 2008.030.10
0:29 - Work in community revitalization at Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation (BSRC)
5:23 - BSRC's emphasis on commercial revitalization; Bed-Stuy's Business Improvement District (BID)
13:59 - Lessons from past failed BIDs; reasons for optimism for success of Bed-Stuy's BID
19:07 - Importance of small local businesses in cultural enrichment, economic livelihood
26:11 - Redlining and segregation; racially integrated neighborhoods and gentrification
31:30 - Lobbying elected officials and city agencies for BID and merchant support
35:33 - Coping with the 2008 recession; interview conclusion
Interview Description
Oral History Interview with Joel Dabu
Joel Dabu was born in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1980, and attended New York University's Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, where he received a master's degree in Urban Planning. At the time of the 2008 interview, Dabu worked as a Commercial Revitalization Manager at Restoration, where his main task consisted of aiding in the revitalization of the Fulton Street and Nostrand Avenue business district.
In this interview, Joel Dabu discusses his work in community revitalization with Restoration and its emphasis on commercial rehabilitation and the Bedford-Stuyvesant Gateway Business Improvement District. He shares his views on redlining, segregation, and the construction and availability of affordable housing --as well as possible negative effects such as gentrification and displacement. Dabu discusses the role local government can play in supporting community entrepreneurship and the possible effects of the 2008 economic recession. Interview conducted by Bahati Williams.
Brooklyn Historical Society (BHS) and Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation (Restoration) partnered on the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation oral history project in 2007-2008 to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of Restoration's founding as the first community development corporation (CDC) in the United States. Nearly sixty interviews were conducted with founding Board members, supporters, activists, artists, tenants, and other community members. Audio clips from these oral history interviews were included in the exhibit "Reflections on Community Development: Stories from Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation" (BHS 2008, Restoration 2009).
Citation
Dabu, Joel, Oral history interview conducted by Bahati Williams, April 11, 2008, Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation oral histories, 2008.030.10; Brooklyn Historical Society.People
- Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation
- Dabu, Joel
- Fulton-Nostrand United Merchants Association
Topics
- Business enterprises
- Community development corporations
- Discrimination in mortgage loans
- Economic development
- Enterprise zones
- Entrepreneurship
- Gentrification
- Housing
- Segregation
Places
- Bedford-Stuyvesant (New York, N.Y.)
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
Finding Aid
Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation oral histories