East Flatbush

The streets of Brooklyn have been with me from the time I was born, and just thinking about them brings me back to the roots of my childhood.

Where I’m from, the area is mostly made up of blacks. Most of these people, like me, are descendants or immigrants of Caribbean islands. As a testament to this, the streets along this area of Brooklyn are often lined with people sitting outside, talking, grilling chicken late at night, and blasting reggae music from large stereos all day long. There are also times when families or friends will just sit out on the street in front of stores and their apartment buildings and play steel drums together, bringing together crowds to listen.

One of the features of this neighborhood that has always stayed with me is the vast amount of West Indian restaurants and corner stores run by Jamaicans and other islanders. But recently, the area has become home to groups of Middle Easterners. Not too far from East Flatbush is a Muslim community, and it would appear that their population has been stretching farther into the neighborhood. The store that was once owned by West Indians on the corner of my old street is now owned by a family of Muslims, who moved in just a few years ago. This has also happened to a few other stores, but otherwise this change is rather subtle, at least for the time being.

East Flatbush is a wonderful place to grow up because of the homey feeling and the spontaneity that comes with the community there. This neighborhood has not changed much in the last few decades, but maybe it will become more racially diverse in the future. Who can say for sure?

WC: 290