Brooklyn's Bedford Stuyvesant

On this week's show we will visit the neighborhood of Bedford Stuyvesant, in Brooklyn. My guests will be Rediscovering New York regular and the show’s Special Consultant, David Griffin of Landmark Branding; and Medina Sadiq, Executive Director of the Bed Stuy Business Improvement District.  Tune in for this fascinating conversation at TalkRadio.nyc or watch the Facebook Livestream by clicking here.Show NotesSegment 1Jeff introduces his first guest David Griffin, a regular on the show as well as being the founder of Landmark Branding. David begins by talking about his background and becoming interesting in architectural history. Next, Jeff asks him how Bedford Stuyvesant, or Bed-Stuy as locals call it got its unusual name. They explain how the “Stuyvesant” part of the name came from the first Dutch governor in Brooklyn. Jeff and David then talk about some of the early native settlers of Bed-Stuy, specifically some of the notable Dutch founders. Jeff asks what life was like in Bed-Stuy during colonial times up until the nineteenth century. David then talks about the battle of Long Island in 1776 that took place in and around Bed-Stuy. Jeff changes topics by asking about the history of Bed-Stuy’s railroad and its construction. They then talk about the history of Weeksville, one of the first free African American settlements in America.Segment 2Jeff begins by asking David about the origins of his company, Landmark Branding. He then asks about the process behind his blog: Every Building on 5th Avenue. Now going back to Bed-Stuy, Jeff and David discuss how Bed-Stuy became the neighborhood it is today. This brings them to talk about why Bed-Stuy became such an attractive location for developers and all the construction that happened. Jeff moves on to ask what the development of Bed-Stuy in the twentieth century looked like. David and Jeff bring up the famous Bed-Stuy A-train and the songs inspired by it. After this, they bring up a darker side of Bed-Stuy during the 1960s where real estate moguls took advantage of the African American community in the neighborhood. The social and racial divisions eventually led to a riot that encompassed Bed-Stuy and the surrounding streets. After this, David discusses the community activists that helped fight the injustice happening in the neighborhood. Lastly, Jeff asks David about how Bed-Stuy has managed to maintain its cultural identity amongst gentrification. Segment 3Jeff introduces Medina Sadiq, executive director of the Bed-Stuy Gateway Business Improvement District. Jeff begins by asking Medina about her upbringing in New York and how she got her law degree. Next, he asks how Medina got to work for the CDC and what she did. Medina talks about her experience managing projects helping women with HIV. Jeff then asks how Medina helped Muslim business owners and her part in getting mosques built in the city. Moving down her extensive job history, Medina talks about working as a lawyer in the Caribbean. Segment 4Jeff begins by asking how Medina got involved with BIDs. Medina goes on to discuss some of the challenges she dealt with when becoming the director of a BID, as well as her special initiatives. She goes on to talk about how gentrification has impacted her district. Jeff asks Medina about the neighborhood’s vibe, which leads her to speak about Bed-Stuy’s culture. She goes into detail about the beauty of the architecture in many of the buildings. Jeff then asks what surprises Medina about the neighborhood. Medina gives advice to potential business owners looking to open in Bed-Stuy.