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Stories


Tiffany and Tyler in Bed Stuy
“StoopLife is everything. This is the mecca of where you bring your friends. We’d eat and talk. I was on this stoop when 9/11 happened. It's like sacred ground."
Tiffany, with her son, Tyler, on the stoop of her childhood Brownstone in Bed-stuy.
"I'm forever blessed for my aunt, Catherine Arline, and the things that she did for my family. She and my mom used to come here from North Carolina to work for the summer. They rented the bottom floor of this house and when the owner moved away, he sold my aunt the house for a measly $50,000! That’s how this place came into my family. I’ve lived on every floor. I’ve gone away and come back. This is home. I couldn't think of a better place to grow up.
This pandemic has helped me understand the importance of seizing the moment. My church lost over 20 people due to COVID. You think you're going to see them again. You think you're going to have more time. One of my fears is that I don't want to pass away before my son, Tyler, can take care of himself. I’m thankful that in this time I was able to have a closer relationship with him.
Tyler could easily be a Tamir Rice. Two years ago we got pulled over. We've never had a negative interaction with the police, but the first thing my son said to me was, ‘I’m scared.’ I don't want him to think that police are out to hurt him, but I want him to know what can happen. You could be walking the straight and narrow and still lose your life.
Everyone in my family that has lived in this house is now deceased. But there are so many memories. My aunt was a pillar in this community. She’s responsible for a lot of what we have today, like the light posts and the park at the corner. People loved her. Our street, Quincy between Malcolm X and Patchen, will be named after her. Everything about who I am today is because of my aunt.”
🗣: Tiffany Jones @visionariestiff
📸 :Marj Kleinman / @brownstonebabe
📝: Lara Weinberg / @larasienaw
#stoopstories #stoops #stoopsofbrooklyn #brownstone #familyiseverything #familyhome #blm #CatherineArline #auntielove #auntie #aunt #familymemories #blackstories #blacklivesmatter #intergenerational #onenewyork #leadbyexample ##covidstoriesnyc #activistny #brooklynhistory
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