Ernesta G. Procope

"The industry does nothing to attract young people to the business."

"“Were not selling potatoes or onions. Were selling service.”"

"Its been a constant battle to open doors and get a chance to show what we can do."

"Here was a black company from Bedford-Stuyvesant coming to Wall Street–that was significant. It showed that we had entered the mainstream of the American economy, And it opened doors for other blacks."

"They didnt know that Bedford-Stuyvesant had substantial, middle-class homeowners, blacks and whites, who needed and deserved coverage."

"We have continued to insure and service the people in the Bedford-Stuyvesant community."

"There remain vestiges of racism and sexism that continue to make our job more difficult than it should be. But significant progress has been made over the last 50 years. We look forward to an America where people are only judged by their abilities and talents and willingness to work."

"“I never operated with a complex—as a woman, as a black woman, as a black. But instead, as a person in business. We knew there were problems, but I could not let that be a deterrent to me.”"

"This wasnt a neighborhood at risk. These were well-built, owner-occupied brownstones."