Brooklyn-based nonprofit GrowHouse Design + Development Group presents "Illuminating Black History: Light at the Crossroads of History & Space" in a community unveiling on Aug. 14 from 5-9 p.m. at Malcolm X Boulevard and Fulton Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
The new illuminated public art installation, nicknamed "The Beacon," will celebrate Black history and community authorship at one of Bedford-Stuyvestant's busiest intersections. Funded through the New York City Department of Small Business Services Public Realm Grant, the installation will remain on display for 11 months at the intersection.
Motion sensors will adjust the lighting as pedestrians pass, encouraging visitors to pause and reflect on the neighborhood's history. The project was developed in collaboration with Andrea Steele Architecture, Arup, SITU and Light Essence Design.
The project commemorates the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in Dutch New Amsterdam and the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Centered on an illuminated "X" honoring Malcolm X, the work incorporates Adinkra symbols, commemorative language and tributes to Black Bed-Stuy luminaries.
"This intersection has always been a crossroads — of history, of movement, of Black life in Brooklyn," said Shanna Sabio, co-founding director of GrowHouse. "What we are building is a commemoration of the past and a declaration of presence. Our community has been here, and we intend to remain."
The initiative highlights Bedford-Stuyvesant's Black cultural heritage while reinforcing community ownership in a neighborhood experiencing ongoing gentrification.
Residents and business owners helped shape the installation by selecting symbols, nominating local figures to honor and contributing commemorative language, making the monument a reflection of the community's history and identity.
After the initial 11-month installation, GrowHouse plans to relocate the sculpture to additional neighborhood sites while expanding related programming with historical signage, candlelight history walks and an augmented reality monument network.
