People Making Power: Politics in Brooklyn

People Making Power: Politics in Brooklyn explores the history of politics in the borough of Brooklyn. By highlighting three levels of political action: block level politics, political clubs, and Brooklyn politicians passing legislation in Congress, the exhibition allows visitors to see how Brooklynites have galvanized action, organized themselves, and made lasting change.

Using the Center for Brooklyn History's collection, People Making Power: Politics in Brooklyn allows people to connect firsthand with the primary sources that made history, from the flyers used by neighborhood activists to create a movement, flyers and sample voting machines created to teach people how to vote, and even a briefcase carried by Congressman Major Owens, who played a pivotal role in establishing the groundbreaking Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

At the end of the exhibition, learn more about what the borough of Brooklyn looks like today, and use the exhibition's interactive feature to cast your vote on what change might look like in the future!

The Center for Brooklyn History would like to thank the following for their contributions to People Making Power: Politics in Brooklyn: The Seneca Club of Kings County, Thiago Eichner, Nihil Solomon, Jeffrey Gerson, Peter Samson, and Art Conservation Studio.