Today is Saturday, January 18. Monday, January 20 is the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday commemoration. “Everyone can be great because everyone can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.”” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968. See the many observances listed in the EVENTS section below.
Quote of the Week: “I know where I’m going and I know the truth, and I don’t have to be what you want me to be. I’m free to be what I want.” Muhammad Ali born January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016. American boxer.
Featured Civil Rights Activist/Abolitionist/Pioneer for this week: Muhammad Ali born January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016. American boxer
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Muhammad-Ali-boxer
EVENTS
1. Melinda shares that Charter Champions is hosting a program today, Saturday, January 18th 1-3pm (Doors open at 12:30) at Mt Olivat Church, 141 Adams St., Rochester NY 14608. This is a free event featuring Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump. The interplay between education and violence creates a cycle of diminished opportunities and increased vulnerability for Rochester’s youth. The time to act is now.
Register to attend this FREE event charterchampions.org/events
2,. The Greater Rochester Martin Luther King Jr. Commission will be holding is annual tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, January 20, 2025, 9:00 – 10:30 AM at the Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre, 26 Gibbs Street, Rochester 14604.
Greater Rochester Martin Luther King Jr. Commission – University of Rochester Calendar
3. The Rochester Museum and Science Center celebrates the life and Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, January 20 from 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM. See below for details.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day | Rochester Museum & Science Center
4. Sandra Katz and Frank Staropoli share information on the Inaugurating Hope, Re-Igniting the Dream program to be held 2:30 PM Monday, January 20, 2025 at the First Unitarian Church of Rochester; 220 S Winton Rd., Rochester, NY 14610.
Martin Luther King Day is also Donald Trump’s inauguration day. The future could bring the undoing of our dreams for liberty and justice for all. Now as never before, we need to come together to ignite our human capacity to hope and dream, to unite and act, even in the face of daunting obstacles. Martin Luther King said, “If you lose hope, you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose that courage to be that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all. And so today I still have a dream.” Here is the link to the event https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-90oRQA2nVocPHIocNQ2Q9ufi6p7-beP/view?usp=sharing The flyer is attached below.
https://exploringracism.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Flyer_InauguratingHope.pdf
5. The United Church of Pittsford’s 2025 MLK Living the Dream Series continues; next program at 7:00 PM, on Wednesday, January 22, 29 and February 2. The series is presented by Pittsford CommUNITY and its sponsors and hosted by the United Church of Pittsford. All events are free and will be held at 123 S. Main St., Pittsford. Free parking in the lot off Sunset.
For more information, visit https://pittsfordcommunity.org/
6. Action for a Better Community (ABC) will hold the final session of it’s 2025 Signature Conference on January 23rd, In-person Awards Breakfast. ABC is celebrating 60 years of “Empowering Communities and Inspiring Change”. Here are the program and presentation details as well as sponsorship opportunities.
7. Jeanne Strazzobosco invites you to the In This Moment Book Launch & Panel Discussion, Featuring City Council Member Stanley Martin & Artist Luvon Sheppard presented by George Eastman Museum Monday January 27,
6:30-8:30 PM. See promo and registration link in the two files below.
8. George Yeadon shared RIT’s Expressions of King’s Legacy featuring Deborah Archer to be held on Wednesday, January 29, 2025 from 12:00 – 2:00 PM. The program now includes a performance by Garth Fagan Dance. See flyer below.
https://t.e2ma.net/message/dhzf2l/1z5372ud
9. George Yeadon also shares that the University of Rochester will hold its annual MLK JR. Address on Thursday, January 30 at the Strong Auditorium on the River Campus featuring Giancarlo Esposito see details and registraction below.
https://events.rochester.edu/event/mlk-commemorative-address-2025
10. Melanie Russo shares that there will be a retreat-style event for Black men in Rochester, scheduled for Friday, February 28th, 2025, at the MCC Forward Center. This collaborative effort between RMAPI, the City of Rochester, Action for a Better Community and others, will empower Black men in their job search through confidence-building, strength discovery, skill enhancement, access to emerging career opportunities and more. See information below.
NEWS, HISTORY & RESOURCES:
11. This story “Indiginous in America” highlights an issue that natives to this land should not have fight, “citizenship in this country”. Rather than bury with other D&C articles below I highlight it here.
12. The U.S. Senate expects to vote on the Laken Riley Act on Monday, January 20. The bill has passed the House of Representatives. This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detain certain non-U.S. nationals (aliens under federal law) who have been arrested for burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting. Details of the bill are found at the link below. Congressman Morelle voted for the bill. Senators Gillibrand and Schumer have voted to allow the bill to proceed to the floor for a vote. Although the premise of the legislation may appear reasonable there are expected to be unintended consequences that can impact communities of color. You can let the NY Senators know your position on this bill by contacting their offices, Sen Schumer 585-263-5866 and Sen Gillibrand 585-263-6250 or go to the “Give Feedback on This Bill” section at the link below.
S.5 – 119th Congress (2025-2026): Laken Riley Act | Congress.gov | Library of Congress
13. John Rodriguez shares information on a program that can reduce the racial wealth gap. See link below.
Home
14. Here are two (2) articles from this week’s Minority Reporter;
a. ‘Robert Brooks’ Family Files Federal Civil Rights Lawsuit Following Death from Beating at Marcy Correctional Facility’:
b. As Dr. King Once Asked, Where Do We Go from Here?
https://www.minorityreporter.net/post/as-dr-king-once-asked-where-do-we-go-from-here
15. Here is the latest Interrupter newsletter from the Urban League of Rochester:
https://mailchi.mp/ulr/micro-advantage-loan-program-13859321?e=25818c1f26
16. Sharing one article from the Beacon this week;
‘Lightfoot to leave City Council after second term’
17. Drew Saur shares this article from the Huffpost, ‘Sheriff’s Office Defends Handcuffing Of 11-Year-Old Girl Wrongly Identified As Car Thief’.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/girl-handcuffed-car-theft_n_67896611e4b0d7aa50069704
18. There are 6 articles that deal with Race, Poverty, Hate or Intolerance found in D&C over the past week.
a. Some in Fairport seek focus on climate (is the focus off welcoming minorites to the community?).
b. India says it’s set for Maha Kumbh Mela (the Hindu scared event will be the world’s largest gathering of humanity).
c. Ontario County raises awareness of human trafficking (impacts all races and nationalities).
d. McDonald’s sued over Latino scholarships (despite data driven inequities some dispute the fairness).
e. Good Cause protections go into effect (Law requires landlords to have a reason when removing tenants).
f. Protesters demand reforms, justice for Brooks (How much change can be expected?).
OPPORTUNITIES: Please share any opportunities for employment, assistance, grants, etc. that you are aware of with the community by sending them to “tcmitch1951@gmail.com”.
19. Interested in supporting Black Men in the Rochester area community? See program listed as item #10 above in the EVENTS section. Please read the following message:
Are you looking to be intentional about attracting and hiring talent from marginalized groups or those who have been historically excluded from the workforce? If so, I’d love to connect! Whether your focus is on individuals from re-entry populations, refugees, people with disabilities, or other historically excluded groups, we can work together to align your hiring strategies with available workforce development resources.
Please reach out to Melanie Russo at melanie.russo@greaterrochesterchamber.com
Let’s work together to create meaningful opportunities for all!
20. Interested in scholarships for next year’s college expenses? Check out the Scholarships that the Urban League of Rochester organizes. Applications are now open. Deadlines vary for the various scholarships. Don’t delay some deadlins are as early as March 1, 2025.
Scholarships — Urban League of Rochester (urbanleagueroc.org)
21. The Rochester Area Community Foundation (RACF) Scholarship program portal is now open. The portal will close on February 28, 2025.
Rochester Area Scholarships and Award Resources – Rochester Area Community Foundation (racf.org)
SUPPORT BLACK OWNED BUSINESSES:
22. Support the Black Community by supporting their businesses. Please share Black businesses you support and value. A good resource is “Black Owned in Rochester”
Black Owned Businesses Rochester NY Black-Owned In Rochester (blackownedinrochester.com)
23. In of need of a Notary to notarize your documents? Give IPM Rochester Mobile Notary a try. See link below.
IPM Rochester Mobile Notary Rochester NY Reviews (blackownedinrochester.com)
If you have an item to include in the week’s sharing we need to have it by noon on Friday.
Thank you!