BOP supports Canarsie Community Development Inc with new BLM t-shirt

By: Tanasia Swift

I would like to take everyone back to 2012 during Superstorm Sandy. Communities around New York City were hit hard by the storm: flooding, broken power lines, fallen trees, people in need of aid.

Canarsie, Brooklyn, was one of those communities.

I don’t think many people were prepared for something like this. Out of this devastating event, Canarsie Community Development Incorporated (CCDI) was born. In 2017, as we were preparing to install our Canarsie Oyster Reef at Paerdegat Basin, we began working with CCDI. Harold Jones, President of CCDI, helped Billion Oyster Project get off the ground through community outreach. 

CCDI makes sure that the people of Canarsie—a predominately black neighborhood in Brooklyn—feel heard and are prepared for the next emergency event. In late 2020, CCDI held a community meeting to present its Emergency Action Plan. Harold and his team were able to map out all of the businesses, schools, cultural facilities, and other assets in Canarsie. Using this data, they proposed locations where community members could go during an emergency. The plan is still in development, but to see this type of work being done by the people who live in the community, rather than an external group is admirable! CCDI also includes Canarsie youth in this work. CCDI’s work speaks to how resilient the people of Canarsie are, which is ultimately what led us to start a t-shirt fundraising campaign to support the organization’s continued work. The funding will be unrestricted, which will allow the CCDI team the flexibility to use it however they see fit.

Working with Harold has been nothing short of inspiring. He's a knowledgeable voice for the community and knows Canarsie like the back of his hand. I’ve been a sponge, absorbing as much information as I can when he presents, and I look forward to seeing what projects CCDI has in the pipeline.

Between now and Sunday, Feb. 28, 100% of the net proceeds from Billion Oyster Project’s Black Lives Matter t-shirt will be donated to CCDI.