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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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Colvin Grannum
Oral history interview conducted by Sady Sullivan
January 08, 2008
Call number: 2008.030.16
2:14 - Transition from Bridge Street to presidency at Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corp (BSRC)
19:27 - Comparison: church-affiliated community orgs (CDCs) and BSRC; church in Black community
48:35 - Grannum's childhood reminiscences from Bed-Stuy; neighborhood evolution, gentrification
76:53 - Grannum's description of Bed-Stuy as complicated, evolving; opportunities for BSRC
89:17 - Grannum's strategic objectives for BSRC's long-term continuation, impact, social role
95:47 - Reflections on BSRC's founding, founders; requirements for long-term sustainability
105:52 - Opinion on CDCs' future; US politics; the 2008 presidential election
130:40 - Evolution, future of BSRC youth programming, development; corporate organization strategy
138:16 - Discussion of a local high school principal; an intern's educational path
Interview Description
Oral History Interview with Colvin Grannum
Born in 1953, Colvin W. Grannum was raised in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, where he studied at P.S. 130 Elementary and Erasmus Hall High School, and attended the Beulah Church of the Nazarene. He majored in religion at the University of Pennsylvania, received a law degree from Georgetown University, and subsequently practiced law for over seventeen years. After serving as the president of Bridge Street Community Development Corporation, Grannum was brought on as the president of Restoration. At the time of the 2008 interview, Grannum had held that position for over five years.
In this interview, Colvin Grannum, president of Restoration, speaks of his work at the Bridge Street Development Corporation (a community development corporation) and Restoration, and differentiates between faith-based and non-church-affiliated CDCs. He reminisces about growing up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, addresses the changes he's witnessed within the community, and discusses Restoration's role and opportunities in future development. He provides his thoughts on the United States' national politics and the 2008 presidential election. Interview conducted by Sady Sullivan.
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
Grannum, Colvin, Oral history interview conducted by Sady Sullivan, January 08, 2008, Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation oral histories, 2008.030.16; Brooklyn Historical Society.People
- Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation
- Bridge Street Development Corporation
- Grannum, Colvin W.
- Inniss, Charles E.
Topics
- African American churches
- African Americans
- Community development corporations
- Community organizing
- Economic development
- Gentrification
- Religion
- Spirituality
Places
- Bedford-Stuyvesant (New York, N.Y.)
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
Finding Aid
Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation oral histories