Battle for Bed-Stuy : The Long War on Poverty in New York City

Half a century after the launch of the War on Poverty, its complex origins remain obscure. Battle for Bed-Stuy reinterprets President Lyndon Johnson’s much-debated crusade from the perspective of its foot soldiers in New York City, showing how 1960s antipoverty programs were rooted in a rich local tradition of grassroots activism and policy experiments. Bedford-Stuyvesant, a Brooklyn neighborhood housing 400,000 mostly black, mostly poor residents, was often labeled “America’s largest ghetto.” But in its elegant brownstones lived a coterie of home-owning professionals who campaigned to stem disorder and unify the community. Acting as brokers between politicians and the street, Bed-Stuy’s black middle class worked with city officials in the 1950s and 1960s to craft innovative responses to youth crime, physical decay, and capital flight. These partnerships laid the groundwork for the federal Community Action Program, the controversial centerpiece of the War on Poverty. Later, Bed-Stuy activists teamed with Senator Robert Kennedy to create America’s first Community Development Corporation, which pursued housing renewal and business investment. Bed-Stuy’s antipoverty initiatives brought hope amid dark days, reinforced the social safety net, and democratized urban politics by fostering citizen participation in government. They also empowered women like Elsie Richardson and Shirley Chisholm, who translated their experience as community organizers into leadership positions. Yet, as Michael Woodsworth reveals, these new forms of black political power, though exercised in the name of poor people, often did more to benefit middle-class homeowners. Bed-Stuy today, shaped by gentrification and displacement, reflects the paradoxical legacies of midcentury reform. Battle For Bed-stuy Is About An Unlikely Alliance That Changed The Shape Of Urban Policy In The United States. The Book Reinterprets Lyndon Johnson's War On Poverty From The Ground Up And Shows How Johnson's Unconditional Crusade, Launched In 1964, Grew Out Of The Rich Exchange Of Ideas That Had Been Unfolding In New York Neighborhoods For Years Beforehand. The Critical Neighborhood In This Story Was Bedford-stuyvesant, Where The Drive To End Poverty Dovetailed With A Vibrant Civil-rights Movement. The Book Emphasizes The Policy Role Of The Area's African-american Middle-class, Especially Women, Who Acted As Brokers Between Politicians And The Poor. In Particular, They Worked With Mayor Robert F. Wagner In The 1950s And Early '60s To Develop New Social Work Techniques And A New Model Of Neighborhood-based Planning. Such Partnerships Laid The Groundwork For The Federal Community Action Program, The Centerpiece Of The War On Poverty.--provided By Publisher. Introduction: The Senator And The Secretary -- A Suitcase Full Of Knives -- Mobilizing The Forces -- From The Clubhouse To The White House -- War And Rumors Of War -- Maximum Feasible Bureaucratization -- The Power To Act -- Whose Community, What Action? -- From The Ground Up -- Epilogue: Gloom And Boom. Michael Woodsworth. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. In the 1960s Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood was labeled America’s largest ghetto. But its brownstones housed a coterie of black professionals intent on bringing order and hope to the community. In telling their story Michael Woodsworth reinterprets the War on Poverty by revealing its roots in local activism and policy experiments. Abbreviations Introduction: The Senator and the Secretary 1. A Suitcase Full of Knives 2. Mobilizing the Forces 3. From the Clubhouse to the White House 4. War and Rumors of War 5. Maximum Feasible Bureaucratization 6. The Power to Act 7. Whose Community, What Action? 8. From the Ground Up Epilogue: Gloom and Boom Notes Acknowledgments Index