A group of young social justice warriors in Canarise is pushing for city and state funds to build a new community center in the often-overlooked Brooklyn neighborhood.
The Flossy Org was founded in 2022 by Jibreel Jalloh, with a mission to dismantle social inequities in marginal communities. Jalloh learned about civic duty and advocacy work when he worked on Capitol Hill in the summer of 2015, alongside Winnie Wu, the organization's co-executive director, under Congressman Gregory Meeks and Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, respectively.
Since then, Jalloh and Wu have taken their advocacy to the streets, primarily focusing on issues that directly impact residents in Canarise, like gun violence, mental health and environmental justice. Last year the organization secured $1.6 million in funding from Council Member Mercedes Narcisse so they can promote anti-violence programs.
“Canarsie is a community I feel like isn't often recognized,” Wu told BK Reader. “But we have such great talent, such great people. It's such a great community. It's beautiful. We have Canarsie Park, Canarsie Pier, but it's often overlooked, especially because of how far it is.”
Now, the two leaders are pressing city and state elected officials to build a community center to further their efforts, similar to the Shirley Chisholm Recreational Center in East Flatbush and the Brownsville Recreation Center.
In a statement sent to state legislators on Jan. 13, The Flossy Org said, “A Canarsie Community Center would serve as a pivotal hub for pivotal engagement, offering programming in recreation, advocacy and education while promoting public safety and wellness.”
With this new community center, the organization hopes to give youth a space to feel safe, in an effort to cut down on crime, Wu said.
Overall crime in the neighborhood has come down over the past several years, according to statistics from the New York Police Department's CompStat program. That said, the 69th Precinct, which includes Canarsie, saw over 200 felony assaults and over 250 grand larceny incidents in 2024, according to the NYPD.
In addition to the advocacy work, The Flossy Org has trained over 300 people to become civil advocates. Through its Advocacy Hub, participants have learned hands-on social justice and advocacy skills while fighting for initiatives that matter to them.
Two siblings, Raana and Tarqiyah Forgah, began their fellowship with The Flossy Org in 2024. They have since met with New York City Mayor Eric Adams and other elected officials to push for more support.
The siblings also began their own advocacy initiative called Genesis.ttr, which empowers young minorities to enter into Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields, they said.
“Before I joined The Flossy Org I didn't really know much about advocacy,” explained Raana Forgah, who said she learned about various advocacy strategies through her fellowship.
Joining The Flossy Org and being able to engage with people in Canarsie made Tarqiyah Forgah really understand how diverse and courageous people in Canarsie are.
“And it went back into me and made me passionate about enacting my own change,” Tarqiyah Forgath said.
