Bruce Ratner, during his tenure as chairman of Forest City Ratner Companies, played a pivotal role as the principal developer of The Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn and also contributed significantly to the Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. He shared with me the deep historical connections between Jewish and African American communities. 

When confronted with the challenge of constructing John Paul the Great, he provided a property that I referred to as the Atlantic Yards Boathouse. This former auto mechanic garage, which had been slated for demolition, rekindled my dream of symbolically rowing from Africa to Brooklyn. Being well-acquainted with the path I intended to emulate—the Middle Passage—he recognized the profound significance of this endeavor and offered his unwavering support for the project.