Today is Saturday, June 15. Today and throughout the week there are Juneteenth commemorations and celebrations. Tomorrow, Sunday is Father’s Day, a day when children of all ages show appreciation for their fathers and father figures. Tomorrow is also EID AL-ADHA, the Islamic commemoration of Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son in obedience of a command from God. This day marks the end of the annual Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca). The Junteenth national holiday is Wednesday, June 19. Originally commemorating the announcement of the abolition of slavery in Texas in 1865, Juneteenth is now celebrated throughout the U.S. to honor African American freedom and achievement. Thursday, June 20th is World Refugee Day, a day intended to raise awareness about the plight of refugees and displaced persons. June is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month (LGBT Pride Month) celebrated annually in June to honor the 1969 Stonewall riots, and works to achieve equal justice and equal opportunity for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) Americans. June is also Immigrant Heritage month. The U.S. has celebrated National Immigrant
Heritage Month, a commemoration throughout June that aims to celebrate, honor and educate others on the contributions that immigrants have made to the country.
Quote of the Week: “The blues is the sound of pain and joy colliding.”; Howlin Wolf, born Chester Arthur Burnett, June 10, 1910 – died January 10, 1976; blues musician.
Featured Civil Rights Activist/Abolitionist/Pioneer for this week: Howlin Wolf, June 10, 1910 – January 10, 1976, blues musician.
https://www.bookey.app/quote-author/howlin-wolf
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Howlin-Wolf
EVENTS:
1. The City of Rochester and MLK Jr. Commission announces the 2024 Juneteenth celebration. See link below.
https://www.rochesterfirst.com/around-town/rochester-2024-juneteenth-festival-plans-announced/
2. George Yeodon provides information on a program on Tuesday, June 18, 1:00 PM EDT., ‘Our Fathers Marched With M.L.K. Here’s What They Would Say to Activists Today’.
3. There is a Juneteenth related event on Wednesday, June 19 at 12:00 PM at The Little Theatre (240 East Avenue), ‘The State of Black Rochester’ sponsored by the Rochester Area Community Foundation. See link below for more information and the register. The event is free but you must register.
RACF: State of Black Rochester – June 19 | The Little Theatre
4. George Yeadon shares that Pathstone Presents announces it’s Provok!ng Thought program ‘ACTION AND ACCOUNTABILITY: UNPACKING AFFIRMATIVELY FURTHERING FAIR HOUSING’ to be held on June 20, 1:00 – 3:30 PM at 440 East Ave. See link below for
5. Bill Wynne also provides information on a retreat ‘The God of us all: Praying with Black Spirituality’ on June 24-July 3 at the Loyola University Retreat & Ecology Campus in Woodstock, Illinois, just outside of Chicago. See below for details and to register.
6. Friday, June 28th at 7:00 PM and Sunday, June 30th at 2:00 PM the Garth Fagan Dance will collaborate with the Finger Lakes Opera for a second time in the world premiere of ‘Two Corners’, featuring original choreography by GFD Artistic Director, PJ Pennewell, and performances by two GFD dancers. See below for more information and for tickets.
7. His Branches, operates as a community health center with clinics in the 19th Ward and Beechwood communities within the City of Rochester, dedicated to the pursuit health and economic equity for all people and the good of our neighborhoods is holding a fund raising golf tournament on July 22. See link below for more information.
https://www.hisbranches.org/golf
8. Save the date, 9/18/2024 for the Urban League – Rochester’s (UL-R) 5th Annual ‘Interrupt Racism’ Summit. This year’s theme is ‘Honoring Whence We Came”. This year’s Keynote Speaker is Ms. Cheryl Brown Henderson, daughter of the late Rev. Oliver Brown, lead plaintiff in the Brown vs. Board of Education court case that led to the desegregation of schools.
NEWS, HISTORY & RESOURCES:
9. Alan Ziegler shares this piece that contains links to a video link to much information on Juneteenth provided by the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
10. Mary Worboys-Turner provides this piece from SubStack that is a “must read” especially as we approach the national elections ‘Eracism: Calling people out does not move the needle on ending prejudice’.
https://open.substack.com/pub/drjenniferfreed/p/eracism?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
11. Laurie Mahoney shares the piece from the D&C on rental property violations database.
Is your rental safe? How to look up Rochester NY property violations (democratandchronicle.com)
12. Here is the Urban League of Rochester’s latest Interrupter newsletter:
Access to Mental Health Resources (mailchi.mp)
13. There are 7 articles that deal with Race, Poverty, Hate or Intolerance found in D&C over the past week.
a. Efforts underway to revive Pinkster (this article may not spur the creation of another holiday but it opens our eyes to the extent of slavery in the northern U.S.).
b. A decade after water crisis, Flint residents still skeptical (would a majority White community receive the same response?).
c. Illuminating racial bias (White celebs sale better than Black).
d. Racial disparities persist in medicine (like other DEI issues there are those that want to deny this).
e. Marking Immigrant Heritage Month
f. Civil rights leader who championed nonviolence dies
g. Oklahoma court rejects case by race massacre survivors (if it were only about the money…).
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”.
14. Foodlink is in need of volunteers on a regular basis. The shifts that are available are found below.
15. Do you know an adult that could use a mentor or interested in being a mentor. The Action for a Better Community has a program you should be aware of, see below.
SUPPORT BLACK OWNED BUSINESSES:
16. 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)
17. Looking to take you business to the next level? Call on AIOPX – Business Consulting. AIOPX leads clients through the methodologies of Operations Excellence to produce extraordinary bottom-line results
https://www.websterchamber.com/members/aiopx-management-consulting-webster-ny
18. Looking for a program to immerse your employees in experiential wellness practices that decrease stress to increase productivity and improve retention? Check out MYRetreat, a wellness app that pairs chocolate with mindfulness to dramatically improve habit formation. Also, see the business case for MYRetreat below that.
https://exploringracism.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/MYRetreat-wellness-app.docx
https://exploringracism.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Business-Case-for-MyRetreat.pdf
Here’s the next Candlelight Chocolate Mindfulness Retreat is June 21st 7:30pm – 8:30pm ET at Frequency Wellness Space (34 Elton St. Rochester) https://www.linkedin.com/events/candlelightchocolatemindfulness7188870486943059968/
If you have an item to include in the week’s sharing we need to have it by noon on Friday.
Thank you!