Before it was a borough, Brooklyn was our nation’s third largest city. Its free Black community attracted people from all walks of life who sought to grow their city in a radical anti-slavery vision. Prithi Kanakamedala’s “Brooklynites: The Remarkable Story of the Free Black Communities that Shaped a Borough” is a cultural and social history told through four ordinary families from Brooklyn’s nineteenth-century free Black community: the Crogers, the Hodges, the Wilsons, and the Gloucesters. Her book illustrates the depth and scope of their activism, cementing Brooklyn’s place in the history of social justice movements. Their lives offer valuable lessons on freedom, democracy, and family―both the ones we’re born with and the ones we choose. Their powerful stories continue to resonate today, as the borough’s residents fill the streets in search of a more just city. Meet the author and join our conversation on Microsoft Teams: https://queenslib.org/4fv7