This is really an excuse to offer up an article we did twelve years ago exactly (November, 1997), when I reflected on the history of then Assemblyman Al Vann's connection to Bed-Stuy and New York City.
The article posed the question: "What Ever Happened to Al Vann?"
His star had faded at that moment and we looked at his once attention-getting forays into the realms of power in the city.
Now the big question, of course, is, what will happen to Al Vann on Tuesday when he faces Mark Winston Griffith in the race to represent Bed-Stuy on the City Council?
Griffith is perhaps on the precipice of a new era in the community's history, although he concedes Vann has a tremendous advantage as the designate of the Democratic Party.
(Griffith is backed by the Working Families Party.)
Maybe for some this City Limits article will offer bits of background relevant to the present.
If anyone has concerns about the article, feelings about it pro or con, please contact us through this BrooklynRon website, as many do.
Thank you.
(To read, click here.)
Oh wow ... I didn't realize that you were the one who wrote that article.
I'd been scouring the web for months looking for information about Al Vann back in the day and the work that he did for this community, because everyone said he was a fighter in his heyday. I couldn't understand what the hype was about.
I happened upon your article one day and it was great. The depth that you go into is greatly appreciated. And the picture that you paint of a flawed (or maybe the better word is failed) hero is actually very moving. It really helped me gain a better respect for Al Vann and a better understanding of who he is.
Thanks for reposting it and connecting the dots for me.
Posted by: Laurel | November 05, 2009 at 10:40 PM