NEW YORK — New York-based nonprofit youth development and social justice organization The Brotherhood Sister Sol (BroSis) has opened a new headquarters building in Harlem. After a decade of planning, The Brotherhood Sister Sol welcomes youth members and staff into their new state of the art facility which will serve as a hub for ideating policies that positively impact society. Designed by Urban Architectural Initiatives, this center will further carry out BroSis’ mission and allow young people to grow, be affirmed, and claim their identity and voice.
“We are so excited to have completed our new home – a true beacon for our community, a space that will allow us to expand our work in the intersectional areas of educating, organizing and training and a building that will be a model for the nation,” said Khary Lazarre-White, Co-Founder and Executive Director of The Brotherhood Sister Sol. “The construction effort has been a very difficult and involved process – the journey has been a long one and we celebrate its completion. This new center for our work is seven floors of space, 22,000 square feet, a temple for our mission – an educational, contemplative, protective and practical home.”
For more than 25 years, The Brotherhood Sister Sol has been at the forefront of social justice, educating, training and organizing to challenge inequality and champion opportunity for all. With a focus on Black and Latinx youth, BroSis is where young people own the power of their history, identity and community to create the future they want to see. The opening of this new 22,000 square foot capital project provides critical support to one of the leading citywide youth development organizations in New York City.
“The Brotherhood Sister Sol is one of the most unique youth development organizations in the country,” said Harry Belafonte, artist and humanitarian. “I know their work well and they teach young people to become social change makers, activists, artists, and to succeed in life. Their work is transformational and their new building in Harlem will allow for the further development of an essential institution that works every day for equity, equality, and opportunity.”
Designed by MWBE architectural firm Urban Architectural Initiatives, constructed by a joint partnership between Racanelli Construction and APEX Building Group, also an MWBE, and with the owner’s representative Gilbane Building Company, this new building serves as a national model for youth development.
“The new center was designed to promote BroSis’ mission in creating positive environments where kids can grow, be affirmed, and develop a sense of belonging,” said Anthony K. Shitemi, Urban Architectural Initiatives Principal. “From the floor to the ceiling, every square foot of the center was thoughtfully conceptualized for maximum use. The most important aspect of the new Center is less the objects that fill it, more the formed space in which a multitude of activities will take place and in which young lives will take shape.”
The Brotherhood Sister Sol’s headquarters is reserved exclusively for community educational use to support its ongoing mission. The space includes a variety of elements aimed to support youth development, including a double-height play area and half-court basketball court located on the roof, a greenhouse, and spaces for meditation, arts, counseling, reflection, group meetings, and presentations. An ultramodern space for the community, the new building also reuses bricks and terracotta from its former building, in an ode to Harlem’s historic architecture.
“The Brotherhood Sister Sol provides critically-needed space for young individuals to learn, organize, and grow, and we are proud to have played a role in building this center to help continue that tradition,” said Brennan Gilbane Koch, Director of Client Relations, Gilbane Building Company. “The BroSis mission of cultivating the next generation of thoughtful, passionate, and forward-thinking leaders dovetails with Gilbane’s own values of integrity, caring, and, above all, dedication to excellence. We look forward to the new headquarters serving as a hub for championing equity, inclusion, and opportunity for our young people.”
Your good news story of the day:
One of the most inspiring youth development organizations anywhere, @BroSis512, has just completed construction of a remarkable new building on W. 143rd St in West Harlem.
What a thrill to join for today's ribbon cutting. pic.twitter.com/Uu6CElculd
— Mark D. Levine (@MarkLevineNYC) April 8, 2022
