Initiatives
Likkle Library develops initiatives to nourish & support the enhancement of the historic Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood located in Brooklyn, New York. Bed-StUy features the largest Black population center in the United States.
FLIP Tech [Formerly Incarcerated Persons]
The FLIP Tech Program seeks to address the issue that formerly incarcerated persons face as they make their way back into the communities from which they came, because we believe everyone deserves a second chance - and the respect and dignity that goes along with it. They are desperately seeking the same basic things, as we are, and approaching their future with some amount of trepidation, just as we are.
FLIP Tech will focus on providing the technical skill sets, as well as, continuing education in the following areas:
- 3-Dimensional Scanning
- 360 Degree Capture
- Virtual Reality
- Augmented Reality
- Live Streaming Production
- Productivity Software Training
- Computer Hardware
With the cost of housing a prisoner estimated as high as $75,000 per year – more than the cost of attending Harvard University – it makes a good deal of sense to implement programs that reduce these costs, with the added bonus of further educating this population. It is the goal of FLIP Tech to begin operations on October 1, 2020.
The Co-Conspirators Conference 2020 (CCC)
The Co-Conspirators Conference 2020 [CCC] is a virtual and in-person conference to be held from October 1st-3rd at likkle library in the historic Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, and globally, through Virtual Live Experiences. The mission is to gather those who want to be more than just allies, who are working to end structural and institutional racism, and who are seeking to be agents of change “working to shape a more just and joyful future.“ Both likkle and VLE are Black owned businesses, with likkle being a sole proprietorship, owned by a woman.
This conference will be squarely focused, through dialogue, upon organically identifying those individuals, organizations and corporations that are willing to commit to be agents of change. It is our goal to inspire both peoples and entities to become Co-Conspirators, each embracing specific goals and benchmarks that can be measurable and quantifiable.
The CCC will feature prominent members of academia, arts and culture, entertainment, technology and science, taking part in stimulating workshops and debates via the VLE technological platform. In addition, various artists and musicians will provide live performances throughout the conference, combined with the VLE Tele-presence experience.
The Co-Conspirators Conference IS racial equity! These difficult conversations, paired with focused and deliberate action, will allow for a more inclusive and pluralistic New York City, and beyond.
SM.ART CORNER: Eco-Forward, NY State Quarantine Safety Approved, Open Air Art, Music, and Dining Space
- Eco-Forward + Wellness Considerate: Black Top Asphalt Absorbs Heat. White concrete sidewalks reflect it. The combination of the heat stored in a New York street and the heat shining off of it make sitting on the street for outdoor dining not only uncomfortable, but also potentially dangerous. Covering those surfaces with a combination of soil/planting, wood re-surfacing and paint substances and hues that reduce the dizzying effects of urban summer heat. Completing the seating with raised areas which allow for rainflow to progress to sewers and tenting to further protect guests from sun overexposure.
- NY State Quarantine Safety Approved: Inspired by New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo’s continued outstanding leadership throughout the COVID crisis, and his most recently issued guidance regarding phased openings of restaurants, the dining layout will maximize the wellness, safety, and comfort of its patrons with amply spaced, clearly marked seating
- Art: Utilizing the eco-friendly paint product as their palette, and under the curatorial direction of Liza Quinones, Women Owned, StreetTheory Gallery, emerging and established artists will create a public artwork mural spanning from the 2 story wall, across the sidewalk, and into the street, in a feat of epic creative collaboration designed in content and fabrication to emanate, and build Community pride, awareness of neighborhood history, and its connectivity to the world via the artists, and activists who left Brooklyn to change the world.
- Music: Whether through speakers playing playlists curated by the Libraries’ Cultural Ambassadors, DJ Sets by neighborhood greats, or Intimate live pop-up performances, guests will have a continuing range of cultural programming and entertainment which informs them directly about the neighborhood they are in.
- Dining: likkle jamaican dumpling house and library is focused on servicing the demand for a high-quality but low-key dining experience. The infusion of Jamaican flavors to traditional comfort food makes the menu new and distinctive, yet at the same time, fits right in with the multi-ethnic and multi-cultural diaspora that exists in the Clinton Hill and Fort Greene neighborhoods of Brooklyn.
About the Creator
Alicia Hines is the owner of the "likkle Jamaican Dumpling and Library". Ms. Hines received her degree in English Literature from Princeton University in 1995 and a Masters in American Studies from New York University in 1999. Ms. Hines taught English and was an Academic Dean at Horace Mann School in the Bronx. She writes about public space, art and culture. Hines, with Alondra Nelson (President of the Social Science Research Council) and Thuy Nguyen Tu (Associate Professor of Social and Cultural Analysis at NYU) is the co-editor of a collection of essays on race and technology, titled Technicolor: Race, Technology, and Everyday Life, published by NYU Press.