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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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Carla Javits
Oral history interview conducted by Sady Sullivan
February 04, 2008
Call number: 2008.030.19
0:08 - Introductions, connection to the Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation (BSRC)
1:10 - 1964 Economic Opportunity Act & Community Development Corporations (CDCs) nationwide
5:38 - Her career, work in advocacy for the homeless
7:23 - BSRC's legacy of holistic community-building; J. Javits archives at Stony Brook University
11:12 - BSRC's role as a mentor, role-model for CDCs nationwide; challenges in access to funding
14:48 - Scarcity of quantitative or qualitative statistics & success metrics for CDCs nationwide
17:10 - Plans for BSRC's 40th anniversary oral history exhibit
Interview Description
Oral History Interview with Carla Javits
Carla Javits was one of United States Senator from New York Jacob Javits's three children. She held a bachelor's degree and a master's in public policy from the University of California, Berkeley. Carla Javits' father, along with Senator Robert F. Kennedy, created the Economic Opportunity Act that led to Restoration's initial funding, and subsequently laid the groundwork for its establishment. At that time, Carla Javits was around ten years old. Javits was the former President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Corporation for Supportive Housing and later became the President and CEO of the Roberts Enterprise Development Fund, which continued her twenty-five year career in advocacy for the homeless and disadvantaged.
In this interview, Carla Javits discusses her father, Senator Jacob Javits, and his involvement in laying the groundwork for, and establishing, Restoration. She explains Restoration's role as an inspiration for other community development corporations (CDCs), as well as the necessity of federal financial support for the success of CDCs. At the interview's end, Javits touches on her current professional and philanthropic activities in non-profit organizations concerned with human development. 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
Javits, Carla, Oral history interview conducted by Sady Sullivan, February 04, 2008, Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation oral histories, 2008.030.19; Brooklyn Historical Society.People
- Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation
- Corporation for Supportive Housing
- Javits, Carla
- Javits, Jacob K. (Jacob Koppel), 1904-1986
- Kennedy, Robert F., 1925-1968
Topics
- Communities
- Community centers
- Community development corporations
- Economic development
- Housing
- Legislators
Places
- Bedford-Stuyvesant (New York, N.Y.)
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
- United States
Finding Aid
Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation oral histories