New York City activists, residents awarded $1M prize

Fela Barclift recalls the day in 1981 when she left her Brooklyn brownstone to search for childcare for her daughter. Racial representation is important for Barclift, who is Black, so she went to nearly 10 different childcare centers to look for the perfect fit. But she couldn’t find any that had Black dolls, or even photos of Black people, she said.

So Barclift converted one floor of her home into a daycare facility for her daughter and invited others to join. That led to the launch of Little Sun People, a preschool that aims to foster self-esteem in children by teaching them about their African heritage.

“I see the difference when we teach our children about having pride in themselves, their family, their community and who they are,” said Barclift, who's now 70. “It creates such a strong sense of self-assurance, and a sense of confidence and belonging.”

On Tuesday, Barclift was named one of the winners of this year’s David Prize, an annual $1 million award for select New York City residents. The prize is named after billionaire real estate developer David C. Walentas and financed by his Brooklyn-based family foundation. The Walentas family and their real estate group, Two Trees Management Company, is known for redeveloping Brooklyn's Dumbo neighborhood, which has brought praise and criticism for advancing the neighborhood's gentrification.

The money from the Walentas doesn't come with any strings attached, similar to MacArthur Foundation’s “genius grant,” — a philanthropic grant for people, instead of programs. Erika Boll, the executive director of The David Prize, says they were inspired by the success of the MacArthur grants and wanted to do something similar, but with a “New York flavor.”

This year's winners were selected from a pool of 5,000 people, Boll said....