The Joseph Brothers opened F + S Tires in 1985, making their business one of the oldest on Fulton Street in Fort Greene. The three brothers from Haiti, Fequiere, Cernol and Scern, endured many rough years repairing tires before the neighborhood rebounded into what it is today. Now, F + S Tires seems somewhat out of place on the block between S. Oxford Street and S. Portland Avenue, which has the Aqualis Grill restaurant, the Green Grape wine store, and Der Schwarze Kölner beer garden nearby. But the Josephs built a dedicated following over 26 years of business, and have no plans to move from …

Thousands of men and women were held on the British prison ships anchored in Wallabout Bay during the Revolutionary War, but perhaps none of those unfortunate souls’ stories was as compelling as that of James Forten. Born a free man in 1766, the African-American Forten was one of the fortunate few to survive the prison ships anchored in what is now the site of the Brooklyn Navy Yard. It is within the realm of possibility that Forten was held captive beside some of the roughly 11,000 who are buried in Fort Greene Park at the Prison Ship Martyrs’ Monument. “He was a survivor — it’s a wonderful …

On March 28, 1938, a standing-room-only crowd witnessed the legendary Marian Anderson perform a recital at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in Fort Greene. To say that this was a groundbreaking event would be an understatement. After all, it was only just a year before that the Daughters of the American Revolution refused to allow Anderson to sing at the Constitution Hall in D.C. because of a “white performers only” policy. The racist gatekeepers at Constitution Hall did not care that Anderson had just finished highly successful tour across Europe. They ignored that the likes of renowned Finnish…

In 1994 Jamel Gaines founded the Creative Dance Outlet Theater of Brooklyn, a vital artistic outlet in Fort Greene that showcases performance art while also providing young artists with the opportunity to combine elements of jazz, modern dance and ballet with African dance movement and rhythms. A Brooklyn native, Gaines was introduced to his calling at an early age, receiving dance lessons at P.S. 123 in Queens. He said that dance not only gave him an outlet to express himself artistically — it was a great way to meet people, too. “Other boys were doing it and it was considered cool, plus we …

Over 100 years ago Hiram S. Thomas, a wealthy black businessman, caused a furor in Fort Greene simply buying a home. In 1894 the successful restaurateur bought a home on Fort Greene Place between Hanson Place and Lafayette Avenue and endured the racially charged outrage of his new aristocratic neighbors. “The matter became…the only subject of discussion through the street,” reported the Daily Eagle on Oct. 1, 1894. “Every householder was indignant and in the first heat of excitement many harsh things were said.” Were it not for his neighbors' racism, Thomas would not have been that out of …

Even as a teenager, Renee Mayo knew that she was destined to run the family business, Two Steps Down, one of the first black-owned restaurant in Fort Greene. “I had no choice,” said Mayo with a smile. The restaurant, which is appropriately named after the two steps visitors must go down to get to the entrance, first opened in 1969, realizing the longtime dream of Yvette Mayo, Renee Mayo’s mother. A third-generation Brooklynite, restaurant manager and nutritionist, Yvette Mayo used her savings to start Two Steps Down and then settled in a two-story brownstone on Dekalb Avenue between Clermont …

After sensing that the artistic character of the neighborhood needed to be preserved, Peter Tulloch created one of the most star-studded free concerts in the borough. June 25 will mark the fifth year of Tulloch's Fort Greene Fest, which has featured marquee names like Common, Erykah Badu and Mos Def. “There aren’t too many neighborhoods in the city that actually feel like a neighborhood. This one does,” said Tulloch. “With that in mind the festival was born…an event where everyone can get together and realize their mutual interests.” Tulloch moved to Fort Greene in the mid-1990s from Jamaica…

With his signature phrase, “Dahved Levy, Rockin’ you! Rockin’ you!” known to millions of radio listeners around the world, no has made his mark in the local Caribbean music scene like the legendary DJ. Barbados-born and London-bred, Levy knew from an early age that he was destined to be on radio, spending his childhood days mimicking radio announcers like the legendary Frankie Crocker in his home. In the late 1980s Levy moved to Clinton Hill to study engineering at City College, but quickly immersed himself in the thriving Caribbean scene in Brooklyn. He immediately made a name for himself …

Eva Daniels was working Fort Greene real estate before it was all the rage, putting the longtime local in the right place at the right time. Daniels, a New Jersey native, came to New York in the late 1960s to study music and later became a music teacher. Seeking a career change, she entered real estate on a whim and moved to Fort Greene. She got her start at Century 21, working primarily in Brooklyn Heights. Determined to set out on her own, Daniels left Century 21 to start her own business in 1985. “A lot of agents had left and started their own real estate companies and I was ready to move …

Before Lisa Price presided over a cosmetics empire, she was selling lotions and hair care products at flea markets around Fort Greene. The founder of Carol’s Daughter, Price found her niche while conversing with her neighbors in Fort Greene in the early 1990s. “I started out making interesting fragrances and moisturizers that really hydrated your skin,” Price said. “Then women in the neighborhood started expressing a need for great hair care product — they were wearing their hair in a more natural style. I just came around at the right time.” Price found that her assortment of beauty products…

In 2002, Sadiq L. Bellamy and a few business partners decided they were sick of the same old junk on the radio, and started the annual Soul Summit Music Festival — which would go on to become one of the neighborhood’s most popular parties. "I grew up during the so-called disco age, when what would later be called hip-hop music was in its infancy,” said Bellamy. “Music was played throughout parks by the best DJs in NYC! Radio was very influential at this time and New York City stations in particular were at the forefront of the national music scene as far as R&B is concerned.” So Bellamy took …

Of the numerous artists to have left their mark on Fort Greene, Richard Wright towers above them all. The author of “Native Son” wrote much of the classic novel sitting on a bench in Fort Greene Park, which was only a short walk from his apartment on Carlton Avenue between Willoughby and Myrtle avenues. The classic, published in 1940, was the first national bestseller by a black author, and is considered one of the most important books about race in America. Upon its release, the novel redefined the conversation regarding the country’s societal ills. “Along with Marianne Moore and Nelson …

Moshood is an African clothing store that stands as one of the first businesses on Fulton Street that formed Fort Greene’s hub of African pride and culture. Originally from Lagos, Nigeria, Moshood — who is known by his first name and does not give interviews — arrived in New York City during the early 1980s, and began to sell his self-designed brand of African garments at local street fairs, festivals and fashion shows, according to Kunle-Ade, the manager of the store. After years of doing business out of his home in the Bronx, Moshood — which also means "African spirit" — opened his own …

In 1991, four close friends shared a vision: to create a space where fledging artists and entrepreneurs in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill could showcase their talent and develop their businesses. This idea came to be known as “Women Working and Winning for the World” or later, 4W Circle of Art & Enterprise, Inc. For Acquenetta Russell Browne, Sheila Kennedy, Lois Bell and Selma Jackson, the roots of 4W were planted, in part, from Jackson’s recognition of the growing influx of artists in the Fort Greene area at the time. “In 1986 I had participated in a market study of Brooklyn,” said Jackson, a…

Mary Pinkett was a labor advocate, a women’s rights activist and the city’s first black councilwoman. A Brooklyn native, Pinkett was intrigued by politics from an early age, traveling to Miami in 1972 for the Democratic National Convention. Pinkett was elected to the City Council in November, 1973 going on to represent Brooklyn’s 35th District — now held by Councilwoman Letitia James — for 27 years before term limits forced her to retire in 2001. Pinkett was a formidable personality on the Council; a skilled and spirited debater with a particular concern for workers rights, small businesses …

Locals refer to Florence Timothy as “ Miss Florence,” a title that hints at the respect she has earned through a lifetime of community activism in Fort Greene. Raised by a devout Christian family in Trinidad and Tobago, Timothy immigrated to New York in the 1960s to make a better life for her family. She worked for years at the flagship Saks Fifth Avenue store in Manhattan as a manager in the fine jewelry department and eventually used her business skills to open a wedding and special occasion’ s boutique in Fort Greene before retiring many years later. In 2005, after several years assisting …

A true American pioneer, Dr. Susan McKinney Steward was the first black woman to earn a medical degree in the state of New York. Born in Crown Heights — then known as Crown Hill — in 1847, McKinney Steward grew up in the neighborhood’s socially elite and civically active community. Motivated and driven McKinney Steward worked on the family farm and spent her free time under the tutelage of noted organist John Zundel. As she grew older she worked as a teacher in Washington D.C. and New York City, using her wages to pay for medical school. In a time when racial and gender obstacles continued to…

James Davis will likely be most remembered for the tragic circumstances surrounding his assassination inside of City Hall in 2003, but the Councilman played a leading role in many other fundamental issues regarding Fort Greene and Clinton Hill before his death. Raised in Crown Heights, Davis only served for two years as Councilman of the 35th District — now held by Councilwoman Letitia James — but had already spent ample time in civic life before taking office. He worked as a police officer for the NYPD, a corrections officer,  a District Leader and a minister. Most notably, as a police …

Brenda Brunson-Bey runs a clothing store that doesn’t just cater to familiar trends; rather, the clothes at Tribal Truths Collection exalt African culture while staying stylish. Brunson Bey’s boutique, located at S. Oxford Street just off of Fulton Street, is a tribute to African culture and pride with urbanized versions of traditional women’s gear: coats, jackets, hats t-shirts, full-length wrap skirts, belts, and leather bags, all basked in bold colors. “I showcase the fabrics, findings and designs that represent the Diaspora arts of Africa and America of which we are all a part,” said …

Little bigger than a "minute man," Sherman Jones clocked countless hours for his beloved Fort Greene. With his mischievous grin, he charmed the britches off many, including civil authoritarians who wanted just to say "no."   For example, after 1973 when he and his devoted friend of 30 years, Fred Lasker, moved here from Manhattan, he linked elbows with his neighbors to force city fathers to reclaim Fort Greene from its perception as a "slum" into its birthright as a full-fledged Historic District. That deserved victory came from the City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1978. People in …