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Meredith Katibah

Bridges of Connection

March 31, 2025 By Meredith Katibah Filed Under: Friends & Neighbors

A Century of Immigration Stories

While the quickest way from one point to another is a straight line, the connection is nevertheless meaningful, even if it contains a few twists and turns. One of our society’s most historically powerful tools of connection is the structure of the bridge, facilitating the cross over chasms of division between locations, people, and cultures. When bridges extend between cultures, I believe everyone’s life can be enriched by learning from others who are different from them. 

Cycles of Storied Oppression and Connection

Immigration Series Part 1 

Our neighborhood, in particular, is a beautiful pocket of NYC with cultural bridges crossing between streets, restaurants, and businesses all over Park Slope due to its rich immigration history. Consider this the first installment in a series to explore the history of immigration in NYC through a wide-angle lens, with a zoom into, Park Slope, and how cycles of immigration laws have looped back to oppressive patterns. 

Looking back, we know that in the mid-1890s, a small community of Syrian-Americans and Lebanese-Americans were settling on and around Atlantic Avenue and opened stores, churches, and shops. Once a new subway line, the current-day R train, was established, it served as a bridge between Manhattan and Brooklyn Heights thus accelerating the growth of Brooklyn’s Arab-American community. 

My great-grandfather was among those Syrian immigrants, as he arrived at Ellis Island on the S.S. La Lorraine in 1920 at the ripe age of 16. His father told him to travel to America because it was the “land of opportunity.” He clung to his father’s advice, leaving his familiar life behind, and traveled with others from the city of Al-Nabek who had similar dreams of exploring new opportunities in America. 

On the day he arrived to New York, his name, “William Katbe” and other personal information was typed out into small boxes on the “Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists” sheet on Ellis Island. Although a seemingly confined space, those small boxes indeed actually symbolized freedom and liberation for so many people. 

William’s final destination was Jacksonville, Florida, where he opened a grocery store surrounded by a community of Syrian friends and family, but his story of immigration and arrival to NYC wildly changed the course of his life, and all of his descendants, including mine. 

Nearly exactly 100 years later, I followed my great-grandfather’s footsteps and arrived to New York City, albeit by plane rather than boat. Three generations of challenges and triumphs ensued to bestow me with the opportunity to move to Park Slope. 

Countless other families have similar stories of immigrating to NYC. In 1910, 75% of NYC’s population were immigrants or first generation Americans. Soon thereafter, the first widely restrictive immigration law was enacted in 1917 which implemented a literacy test to demonstrate basic reading comprehension. A few years later, the Johnson-Reed Act, otherwise known as the “Immigration Act of 1924” limited the number of immigrants allowed entry into the United States through a national origins quota and also excluded immigrants from Asia entirely.

The repetitiveness of history can often be a cruel reality. 100 years after the Immigration Act of 1924, the current administration is now imposing oppressive immigration laws once again. On Trump’s first day in office, he issued the “Protecting the American People Against Invasion” executive order which included a slew of directives. One of which is to end birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants and for people with temporary status, which undercuts over 125 years of precedent of unrestricted birthplace-based citizenship. 

The order states a child must have at least one parent with United States citizenship or a green card in order to be born a United States citizen. The day the executive order was released, U.S. District Judge John Coughenour became the first to block it, with other lawsuits quickly following suit. 

The ramifications of this executive order would mean future generations of children would be denied the right to vote, the ability to hold certain jobs, and access basic healthcare, all even though they were born in the United States. 

While the quickest way from one point to another is a straight line, the connection is nevertheless meaningful, even if it contains a few twists and turns. One of our society’s most historically powerful tools of connection is the structure of the bridge, facilitating the cross over chasms of division between locations, people, and cultures. When bridges extend between cultures, I believe everyone’s life can be enriched by learning from others who are different from them. In 2011, nearly 40% of people living in Brooklyn were foreign-born. In the Park Slope-Gowanus area specifically, 12,255 people were foreign born out of 

the total of 72,311. Thus 16.9% of the our residents in our neighborhood were foreign born roughly years ago. 

In the next installment of this series, we’ll highlight a few small businesses and organizations run by our immigrant community members because our neighborhood would not be the thriving community it is today without all of the cultural bridges that have been built over the span of decades. In times like these, it’s valid to feel enraged, frustrated, or hopeless at the policies that are stripping people of their rights. However, unity is a powerful force and I believe that we are truly stronger together. 

Simultaneously, Park Slope is full of organizations that are dedicated to supporting our community. If you are interested in joining these efforts, and have the capacity and resources to do so, please consider volunteering or donating to the following organizations. 

CHiPS, a food pantry and soup kitchen, located at 200 4th Avenue, is always seeking spanish-speaking volunteers. If you’re interested in volunteering, you can contact Melissa Newkirk at volunteer@chipsonline.org. They also accept shelf-stable food items such as instant ramen noodles, tortillas, cereals, peanut butter, and jelly between 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. from Monday through Saturday. 

Gowanus Mutual Aid defines mutual aid as a group whose members strive to create solidarity among community members by supporting each other’s needs. They believe in solidarity, not charity and all activities are member run and free to access. They are always looking for seasonal and essential items such as clothing, toiletries, and strollers. Contact gowanusmutualaid@gmail.com to work with neighbors including food distribution opportunities and language support. 

Mixteca’s seeks to “enrich, equip, and empower the Latinx community in Brooklyn and beyond” by providing access to services that allow people to reach sustainable social and economic development. Located at 245 23rd Street, the Mixteca team offers programs to assist the specific needs of immigrant families and asylum seekers. If you’re interested in volunteering or donating to support their work, contact info@mixteca.org. 

For the second installment, we’ll be exploring stories of resilience and joy from our neighbors. In my humble opinion, we are only able to alienate another person when we do not understand them, and we cannot understand someone unless we give them the space and agency to share their story. Only then can we step outside our limited lived experience and walk across a bridge to someone else’s lived experience, resulting in a more connected and compassionate community for all. 

Filed Under: Friends & Neighbors

“Exploring Abstraction”: A Community Collaboration

November 1, 2024 By Meredith Katibah Filed Under: The Arts

Explore the latest exhibit from Park Slope Windsor Terrace Artists in partnership with ShapeShifter Lab.

Diane Miller 
Haiku VII, 2020
28 x 21”
collage of artist-made paper, etching fragments & gold leaf 
DianeMillerArtist@gmail.com 
DianeMiller.org

Artistic endeavors exist on every corner of Park Slope, but even longtime residents may not be fully aware of the vast array of creative collaborations within our neighborhood. However, “Exploring Abstraction” is one art exhibit you won’t want to miss this fall. 

he exhibit is displayed at ShapeShifter Lab, a music and arts space on Union Street. Business partners Fortuna Sung and Matt Garrison run ShapeShifter Plus, a nonprofit organization, and designed the Lab to be a living canvas where local artists and musicians could reimagine the space with their own works of art.  

“The space is DIY, letting the artists have the freedom of how [they] want to curate the shows,” Sung said. 

Currently, the living canvas of ShapeShifter features the latest collaboration with the Park Slope Windsor Terrace Artists (ArtsPSWT), a collective of visual artists living and working in the two neighborhoods. 

Since the 1970s, ArtsPSWT has gathered distinguished local artists together to participate in events and showcase their work. Today, the collective is composed of over 50 artists who span the gamut of styles, techniques, and mediums. Rich Garr, who has been a member of ArtsPSWT for over 14 years, is deeply rooted in the art scene in Brooklyn. As a collage artist, Garr is skilled at connecting elements together which transfers to his ability to match artists with spaces to show their work. 

“We all want to be in our studios making art, but we want to make sure it gets seen.” Garr said. 

He said that members in the collective each play a different role to curate spaces and act as liaisons with the community. One of the newer members, Susan Newmark, sits on the exhibition committee for ArtsPSWT. 

Newmark, whose involvement in community arts projects spans many years in the city, has organized shows at The Brooklyn Museum Community Gallery and also ran the visual arts program at Henry Street Settlement. Now, she focuses her energy to curate shows for the diverse artists in Park Slope and Windsor Terrace by partnering with ShapeShifter Lab. She noted how the process of sharing art can often be quite complicated. 

“Artists all want their work to be shown…it’s the other side of creating so this is really a great possibility,” Newmark said. 

ShapeShifter Lab offers the talented artists of ArtsPSWT the opportunity to do precisely what their name suggests and shift the space for each unique exhibit. 

“It’s a community-based space and it allows for a lot of creativity,” Sung said. 

Community and creativity go hand and hand in the current exhibit, “Exploring Abstraction,” which displays work from 11 artists including painters, printmakers, photographers and multimedia artists. Artists Shoshana Cooper, Phil DeSantis, Rich Garr, Tom Nau, Toby Needler, Susan Newmark, Chris Doogen, Diane Miller, Paula Rennis, Robin Roi, and Heidi Yockey explore a unique perspective and story through the use of a wide variety of techniques and mediums including acrylic paint, watercolor, collage, and photographs. 

According to Britannica, abstract art has been historically used by artists to describe and illustrate the natural world and human civilization for centuries. 

The Britannica website notes that “abstract art puzzled and indeed confused many people, but for those who accepted its nonreferential language there is no doubt as to its value and achievements.” 

Chris Doogan 
Unraveling, 2020
woodcut print, 13 x 20”
ChrisDooganArt@gmail.com 
ChrisDooganArt.com

In order for the ArtsPSWT artists to display their own nonreferential masterpiece in the exhibit, they needed to provide information about their process, the content of their piece, and their unique involvement in their art form which is available for the public to read and learn more about the stories that inspired the works.  

A few artists have even held workshops for people to tangibly interact with the art and ignite their own creativity. Paula Rennis, whose pieces are displayed in “Exploring Abstraction,” hosted “Unwine,” an experimental abstract painting event. Not only did participants sip wine while they painted but also painted with their wine. 

“It’s a way to connect with her artwork too,” Garr said about “Unwine.” “You can have a great time as an artist exploring your own creativity.”

If you missed this workshop, don’t be dismayed because all are welcome to join ArtsPSWT for a free reception at ShapeShifter Lab on September 22nd from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. to meet the artists and engage with “Exploring Abstraction” in all of the intricate interpretations of the theme.  

Newmark believes art goes on everywhere and that it’s important to see the accomplished local artists in our community. Beyond the current exhibit, ArtsPSWT plans to continue partnering with ShapeShifter Plus to host future exhibits exploring street stories and artists who are teachers. 

Until then, “Exploring Abstraction” will run through October 5th and is open to the public from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays as well as from 12 p.m. – 3 p.m. on Wednesdays. Additionally, Sunday hours will resume on September 8th. 

“I hope that when people realize the incredible amount of talent that is in their community and the diversity, they might be inspired by that.” Garr said. 

Filed Under: The Arts

Groundcycle

June 27, 2024 By Meredith Katibah Filed Under: Park Slope Life

When Vivian Lin learned about the composting process and how food scraps and organic waste could be used as a resource to add nutrients to the soil, she instantly channeled her energy into learning ways to close the gaps of food waste in her community. Within weeks, she shifted her career as a professional architect to boldly create an operation that seeks to divert waste, promote sustainability, and respect the earth, one bin at a time.

Nearly 25 percent of the food purchased by Americans is wasted, according to the NYC Department of Environmental Conservation, and when Brooklyn native Vivian Lin learned about a way to divert that waste, it changed the trajectory of her life.   

In April 2020, she joined environmentally-focused Earth month virtual events that delved into a wide spectrum of topics, yet conversations on the cycle of food production and composting specifically piqued her interest. 

The United States Environmental Protection Agency defines composting as a “controlled, aerobic (oxygen-required) process that converts organic materials into nutrient-rich, biologically stable soil amendment or mulch through natural decomposition.” 

She was shocked by how the staggering amount of food scraps and organic waste we produce could be diverted from landfills and used as a valuable resource instead. “Up until that point I had no idea how food was grown or how much work it takes and this whole cycle of how food waste can become fertilizer, it just blew my mind,” Lin said. 

An architect by trade, Lin shifted her focus from physical structures to investigate the infrastructures that processed organic waste into compost throughout NYC and discovered a noticeable gap. Days after her deep dive of compost research, the New York City Department of Sanitation coincidentally announced a suspension of curbside composting pickups due to budget cuts as a result of the pandemic. 

Moreover, farms were losing partnerships and distribution opportunities leaving an alarming amount of farm-produced fresh produce to rot in fields. Options to divert waste were dwindling for New Yorkers and farmers alike, but rather than accepting a dead-end, Lin seized the opportunity to forge her own path forward. Thus, Groundcycle was born. 

She contacted a few local farms and pitched an idea to bring them food scraps to use for compost as well as deliver their harvested fresh food to city dwellers. Once Garden of Eve Farm in Long Island and McEnroe Organic Farm in Millerton expressed interest in piloting the program, Lin eagerly reached out to family and friends to join her in closing the gap between produce and compost through a bin swap service. 

With 13 inaugural members on board, Groundcycle launched the first official bin swap on May 10th, 2020. The bin swap service delivers farm-fresh produce straight to your door in a 5-gallon bin and swaps it with your organic waste and food scraps which are processed and converted to compost at local farms. 

Lin’s resourcefulness and determination was crucial to overcome challenges in the early stages of Groundcycle’s operations, including recruiting friends to drive the bin swap routes because she didn’t know how to drive at the time. News spread in the following months and bin swap membership began to grow, with Park Slope residents accounting for the majority of members. 

Four years later, Groundcycle’s bin swap program has expanded to service over 300 members all across Brooklyn and Manhattan, diverting over 600,000 pounds of organic waste to date. In fact, Lin says she’s discovered new areas of the city for the first time since starting the service. “It’s been really beautiful for me as a lifelong New Yorker to discover all of these different pockets of Brooklyn,” Lin said. 

Groundcycle also continues to grow and evolve to promote sustainable practices by collecting food scraps and organic waste from businesses, offices, and events including large-scale events such as House of Yes’ Earth Love Fest and Cherry Bombe’s Jubilee.  Lin and her team ensure all edible food is reallocated to people who need it by filling community fridges across the city and distributing food items through other avenues of assistance.  

Before founding Groundcycle, Lin didn’t know where her food came from and hopes that by playing an active role in composting, others can feel more connected to the cycle of food production and cultivation by seeing how their food scraps can ultimately nourish the soil of the fresh produce they receive. 

“That’s how nature works,” she said, “you respect it and it will return something beautiful.” 

Respecting nature extends beyond food waste diversion and spills into every area of consumption and Groundcycle now partners with local zero waste stores like Maison Jar and Precycle to offer 

household and pantry essentials to bin swap members, thus reducing unnecessary packaging waste. Lin also works closely with florists around the city to repurpose and compost floral arrangements that would otherwise be tossed in the trash at the conclusion of events. 

When reflecting on the last four years, Lin notes how grateful she is for the community of other sustainably-minded people who want to collaborate and amplify different missions to close gaps of access in all areas. She’s teamed up with a variety of organizations to host donation drives of hygiene items, winter coats, shoes, and other items to reallocate resources to people in need of assistance.  

Lin encourages people who are curious about living more sustainably to not be afraid to start, even if that means bringing a reusable bag to the grocery store or freezing your food scraps from dinner instead of throwing them away.  

“It really does start small,” she said. “As soon as you start making those little changes and you feel good about it, you’re really motivated to do more.” 

If you’re interested in getting involved with Groundcycle’s mission to close the gap of produce and compost in Park Slope and beyond, visit groundcycle.org and @_groundcycle on Instagram. 

“Because composting is so universal, everybody can play a part,” Lin said. 

Filed Under: Park Slope Life

Green Space & The City

April 11, 2024 By Meredith Katibah Filed Under: Park Slope Life

In a densely populated city like NYC, green spaces are a limited resource. Sera Rogue wants to change that by cultivating green spaces through her sustainable landscape design and holistic gardening studio, Red Fern Brooklyn. Rogue and her team create and install custom-designed gardens to fit your unique needs. By using an ecologically-conscious approach, Red Fern Brooklyn believes stewardship and sustainability can grow in tandem in and around your home.

Red Fern: A Garden Design Studio Turning NYC Green 

The turn of a new season can spur excitement for a multitude of reasons for New Yorkers, especially during the transition into spring when the eagerness to be outside is palpably felt throughout the community. Many fantasize about being surrounded by nature, yet such spaces are a limited resource in our urban city. What if we could cultivate those spaces a bit closer to home and simultaneously use them to steward our own ecology? 

Sera Rogue couldn’t ignore this seed of a conundrum and her curiosities grew into the creation Red Fern Brooklyn, a sustainable landscape design and holistic gardening studio. As the owner and designer, Rogue seeks to connect her clients to our ecological system by offering design expertise, classes, and a variety of initiatives. 

Serving numerous locations throughout Brooklyn, Manhattan, and New Jersey, Red Fern Brooklyn offers garden design, installation, and maintenance along with other services to create and cultivate green spaces. Rogue brings her client’s visions to life alongside assistant designer, Finn Bellanger. Another team member, Shahrayer Shahamet, assists with gardening and manages Red Fern Brooklyn’s social media platforms while Kate Douglass helps with administrative work. 

After working in the area for over nine years, Rogue notes she’s leading the Red Fern Brooklyn team through a period of transition by focusing on initiatives to deal with climate change and increased sustainability. “Our first and foremost goal is to help people green their own properties and green their homes,” Rogue said, “to make usable spaces that are ecologically sound is what we’re all about.” 

The Red Fern Brooklyn team works to ensure each project is not only custom-designed to fit each client’s needs, but that their work will encourage each person to become a better steward of our ecology. It can often be easy to lose a connection to nature while navigating through the flurry of an urban city. Rogue believes awareness of our ecology is crucial to understand how we can better steward the earth we inhabit. 

As we grow in awareness and knowledge of the current state of the earth, feelings of hopelessness to alter the situation can definitely arise. However, Rogue doesn’t dismiss the daunting reality of climate change, rather, she wants to lean into how we can make choices that are less harmful and more nourishing for the earth.

“We can use our green spaces as a way for us, individually, to work with native plants to support our local fauna or develop a way to use our own waste through compost to make our gardens healthier,” Rogue said. 

Designing spaces with native plants is central to Red Fern Brooklyn’s initiatives to mitigate environmental problems and seek natural solutions. Native plants, as opposed to imported ones, use less water, thus conserving the resource. Additionally, the benefits of native plants extend to other species by feeding local pollinators like bees and butterflies while also providing seed and food for bird populations.  

Red Fern Brooklyn understands the constant upkeep of an ever-growing green project can be overwhelming to maintain. Thus, they offer a variety of services to support you and your project after installation. A few of the services include maintenance programs, care guides, and ongoing consultation. 

By blending her experience in the creative field of filmmaking with her love of nature, Rogue tells a story with each green space she creates. When she visits a site for the first time, her approach to assessing the space is twofold. Rogue checks the physical space for any potential issues such as problems with drainage or privacy concerns and turns urban idiosyncrasies we often perceive as negative into beneficial aspects of the design. 

Next, Rogue gets to know her clients on a personal level to ensure the space can match their lifestyle and uniquely fit their needs. She is able to envision the design by considering a variety of factors including the family profile of each client. Perhaps there are children in the household and a design feature could cater to specific activities they enjoy. Additionally, she considers the schedules of the family members and how they want to use the space. 

Furthermore, Rogue takes note of the client’s individual style and personality as inspiration for the green space design. Whether installing an edible garden, or a backyard oasis, Rogue says she wants to make a space more habitable, local, and functional. 

“As much as I love the outdoors and nature, I absolutely love meeting new people and living in such a vibrant, diverse city like New York, and getting to hear different people’s stories is very compelling to me,” Rogue said.

Over time, Rogue has shifted Red Fern Brooklyn’s focus to expand beyond simply creating beautiful spaces, to more of an ecological-centered approach. She seeks to combine the dynamism of our urban culture with a consciousness of our natural world in her work. “It has become not just about the aesthetic, the style, or the design aspect of things,” Rogue said, “but how can I use those things to help my community on a bigger level.” 

According to Rogue, cultivating green spaces is not only good for each person’s individual mental health, but also for our community at large. She dispels the notion that people are either born with or without a green thumb and instead believes that gardening is for everyone. For Rogue, connecting to nature is all about acknowledgement, regardless of our experience or location.

“…acknowledging where we can do better and also acknowledging our innate connection to the natural world,” Rogue said. “We’re not separate from it. We’re bonded inextricably to nature.” 

For more information on Red Fern Brooklyn’s upcoming classes and initiatives, visit their website at redfernbrooklyn.com or find them on instagram @red_fern_brooklyn. 

Filed Under: Park Slope Life

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