Faces Of The Day

In a 2011 interview, photographer Russell Frederick described (NYT) the Brooklyn neighborhood he has been documenting since 1999:

Bed-Stuy is a great city of great people — a black metropolis rich in history, culture, food. Lots of soul. A place I would love to buy a house, a place where you can start your own business. A community that is evolving and changing. Brownstones that are just magnificent. People of so many different backgrounds. The people of Bed-Stuy are actually the gold of Bed-Stuy.

But the neighborhood is also undergoing a rapid transformation:

Frederick said that watching the Bedford-Stuyvesant real-estate market boom and many small businesses close down as a result has made him appreciate the value of documenting the neighborhood for as long as he has. “Whenever I pick up a camera, I’m trying to uplift,” he said. “I hope I have honored the community and the good people of Bed-Stuy who haven’t gotten a fair shake. The community needs to be honored, and the pioneers need to be honored.”

(Photo by Russell Frederick)