BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — Before she designed public programs at the Center for Brooklyn History (CBH), Marcia Ely was a television writer and producer.
Ely sees a clear throughline between these seemingly dissimilar careers. “Storytelling is the common denominator,” she told the Brooklyn Eagle. “When you put together a panel, you are casting like you would a TV show.”
Ely brings a storytelling ethos to her work as the director of public programs at the CBH to connect the public with the sometimes daunting institution.
The Othmer Library in the Center for Brooklyn History is newly available to the public for research and study. Photo: Gregg Richards
When the Brooklyn Historical Society merged with the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) to become CBH five years ago, the organization renewed its commitment to opening its arms to a broader public, fueled by BPL’s deep dedication to public service.
Introducing a recent public program at CBH, BPL President Linda E. Johnson celebrated the initiative. “As of two years ago, all Brooklynites and curious minds have free and open access to these resources,” Johnson said.
Opening the 145-year-old building and archive to the public was one major move toward connecting with more Brooklynites. The public programming that Ely designs is another.
A visitor engages with the “Brooklyn is…” exhibit in 2023. Photo: Gregg Richards
“History is what happened yesterday, right?” she said. “What I’ve tried to focus on is what is on people’s minds. The criteria for programs is that they have to do with what people who live in Brooklyn and beyond Brooklyn are interested in hearing about now.”
Eugene Robinson and Darren Walker engage the audience in the Feb. 3 launch of Robinson’s book, “Freedom Lost, Freedom Won.” Photo: Marcia Ely
One example was the book launch of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Eugene Robinson’s new book “Freedom Lost, Freedom Won” on Tuesday, Feb. 3. Robinson was joined in conversation with Darren Walker, the former president of the Ford Foundation.
On a cold, windy night, a diverse audience of over 100 people filled the center’s redesigned Great Hall for the book talk. As they waited, they got a sneak peek at CBH’s newest exhibition, “The Battle of Brooklyn: Fought and Remembered,” which opens Thursday, Feb. 5.
A lively talk followed, filled with laughter and connection from the audience. Robinson and Walker discussed the former’s painstaking, extensive research into a rich family archive, in turn telling a story of American history.
Throughout the talk, Robinson brought these archives to life in rich stories spanning more than a century. They began with Robinson’s maternal great-great-grandfather, Major Henry Fordham, a Black man and accomplished blacksmith who freed himself from slavery in 1851 Charleston, SC.
“I wanted to show that we were present at all of the major historical events,” said Robinson. “Black history is a strand of American history that is necessary.”
He finished by connecting these histories to present-day America, noting the ongoing cycles of oppression and freedom experienced by his own family.
The Center for Brooklyn History reopened its redesigned space to the public in fall 2023 with the exhibit “Brooklyn is…” Photo: Gregg Richards
“I’m so filled with emotion,” shared an 85-year-old audience member during the Q&A. “All the stories you’re telling, I’ve lived through.”
Ely’s background outside of academic history “in some ways makes [her] better at this job, which is to make an institution that can sometimes be seen as hoity-toity relevant to the general public.” She is, on the other hand, very rooted in Brooklyn: she has lived in Park Slope since 1992.
When BPL and the Brooklyn Historical Society merged, they combined their collections to form the world’s largest archive of Brooklyn-related materials. Ely digs into this wealth of resources, newly accessible to the public, to design public programming.
“When I hear that an interesting collection has just been processed, my ears prick up,” she said.
A full house in the CBH Great Hall for a conversation with Jennifer Egan and Hernan Diaz in January 2026. Photo: Gregg Richards
One example was the recent panel on film scouting that illuminated the newly processed CBH film location archive — an event which Ely believes broke internal records for attendance with 229 audience members. Another upcoming event will explore how author and Brooklynite Abigail Savitch-Lew used the CBH archive in her research on Brownsville.
“The focus on making research something that everyone feels that they can do in our space filters down to my work,” Ely said. “How are people using our collections, and how can we tap into that to develop public programs that scratch that same research itch?”
Ely hopes that potential visitors know they are more than welcome at CBH. “Everybody is a researcher and a scholar in their own ways,” she said. “I hope that people feel as if that intimidating building is for them. The doors are wide open, and folks are all welcome, and there’s something there for everybody.”