Yesterday I came across With A Brooklyn Accent,  a blog written by Mark Naison, a Professor of African-American Studies and History at Fordham University and Director of Fordham’s Urban Studies Program. He lives in Park Slope, where he raised his children.

According to Naison’s biography on his Blogspot blog, he is the author of three books and over 100 articles on African-American History, urban history, and the history of sports. Interestingly and despite the name of his blog, his area of expertise is the Bronx and The Bronx African-American History Project, is Dr Naison’s most recent venture. It was launched collaboratively with the Bronx Historical Society in the Fall of 2002. Here he writes about The Park Slope My Children Grew Up In:

“I would not trade the Park Slope my children grew up in—which was not always ‘safe,” which was diverse in race and class, where new residents, many of them political activists, worked inside local churches with longtime residents as well as building their own institutions; where Catholic school and public school kids came together in local sports programs; where there were almost no upscale restaurants and a big treat was having a family night out in places like “Snooky’s” or “Circles,” and where housing was affordable enough so that you could buy a brownstone on two teachers salaries- for any neighborhood in the country. I could not think of a better place to bring up two children as athletes, as caring people, and citizens of a multiracial society who had in depth exposure to people of different backgrounds in school, on the streets and in the sports programs they participated in.”

Naison is a serious man and With a Brooklyn Accent is a serious blog that he’s consistently updated since 2008. Subject matter includes the Bronx, education, urban history, Stop and Frisk,  school reform, politics and more. The following is a post called Things About Me As a Teacher My Students Can Count On:

“1. I will be there for my students whenever they need me, whether they are in my class or not, and throughout the course of their adult lives. Once my student, always my student. 2. I will stay at the job I love until I am no longer able to function. My students will always know where to find me. 3. I will stand up for my students, my colleagues, and the principles I believe in whether my school administration supports me or not, and whether or not my actions make my out of tune with the current political fashion in the nation.”