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Community Corner

Bed-Stuy Recognizes Local Heroes

Nine honored at the Tohma Y. Faulkner Awards Ceremony

Nine unsung community leaders and pioneers were recognized for their contribution to the Bed-Stuy neighborhood on Saturday at the opening ceremony of th 7th Annual Bed-Stuy Alive celebration.

, named after the community leader who passed away in 2008, gives annual recognition to the extraordinary people in the neighborhood who contribute to the cultural, business, education and growth of the community.

“For all the distinguished honorees today, we celebrate you,” said Assemblywoman Annette M. Robinson in her remarks. “It is important because there are people that have been doing long-standing work for many years and have not gotten the recognition.”

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Artist and illustrator Emmet Wigglesworth was recognized with the Art Trailblazer Award. He has designed and illustrated several books and magazines for a variety of publishing companies, as well as contributed annually to the Fulton Art Fair.  

“I accept this award not for myself but for those memories,” Wigglesworth said, after reminiscing about the places in Bed-Stuy that mean the most to him.

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The executive director of the oft-humming Bed-Stuy YMCA, Dordy Jourdain, won the Community Champion Award.  

“It is an honor and a privilege to be in this community, to live in this community and to be the director of a facility that has the opportunity to give back and to share in strength what we do in Bed-Stuy,” said Jourdain, who took on his role at the YMCA in 2008.

Weeksville Heritage Center Executive Director Pamela Green was handed the Cultural Trailblazer Award. Green has been spearheading the continued efforts to complete the new Weeksville complex, once an free African-American community in Brooklyn in the 1800s, a site that the heritage center is in the process of restoring.  

“Let Weeksville be your model,” she said calling on the audience to make use of their right to vote in the upcoming 2012 election. Weeksville residents had built the complex so they could vote.  “You could not vote in the 1800s unless you were a male and if you were African American, you owned property.”

The three business and entrepreneurial awards went to Al’s Men Shop Owner Eric Bullen, who earned to Economic Development Award; 84-year-old owner of the Casablanca Lounge, Esther Williams, received the Economic Development Trailblazer Award; and the New Entrepreneur Award went to Winfield Harrell, III, who recently opened Crave Restaurant in April 2011.

Harrell, who first started with WANT’Z Pizzeria, his first restaurant, called on the audience to always lend a helping hand when possible.

“Sometimes things may not be going well, but there’s always someone out there doing a little worse than you,” he said. “So if you can extend yourself, help someone today, I am sure eventually, we are going to make this one great city and one great borough.”

The two Outstanding Educator Awards went to Little Sun People Founder Fela Barclift and the Assistant Principal of Boy and Girls High School, Christopher Smith.

Boys and Girls High School was also represented by Shyrandre Terrell-Foskey, who won the Youth Achievement Award for her contributions to the school and her church community.

The nine honorees received plaques and certificates from the district and council leaders.

Local leaders and politicians such as District Leader Robert Cornegy, Councilmember Albert Vann and representatives from the offices of Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and New York Senator Velmanette Montgomery attended the crisp fall morning ceremony.

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