Neighbors helping
neighbors since 1968.

In 1968, Elizabeth Speranza and a group of determined Williamsburg women had enough. Overflowing garbage from neighboring properties, no childcare for working families, nowhere for seniors to gather. They knocked on doors, organized block by block, and refused to give up.

By 1972, their grassroots effort was formalized as the Conselyea Street Education Action Center, offering English as a Second Language classes, immigration assistance, and meals to a neighborhood that needed them.

"Their extraordinary leadership took place at a time when women were not seen or acknowledged as leaders nor were there any community development organizations or other funded local organizations to take on this work." Jan Peterson, community organizer

The opposition was fierce. Petitions circulated. Threats were made. But the women of Conselyea Street held firm, with Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm standing in their corner.

Two years later, they built something truly lasting at 211 Ainslie Street: the Small World Child Care Center and the Swinging Sixties Senior Center.

In 2013, the organization formally merged with St. Nicks Alliance to strengthen programs and secure the building's future as a permanent community center.

Today, more than 55 years on, the block association's legacy endures: in the seniors gathering for lunch, in the toddlers learning through play, and in the annual Bocce for Bus tournament.