Today is Saturday July 1. The Hajj ends this evening. We celebrate the 4th of July on Tuesday.
Quote of the Week:
“If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing the ground. They want rain without thunder and lighting. They want an ocean without the awful roar of its many waters. This struggle may be a moral one; or it may be a physical one; but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.” Frederick Douglass; American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer and statesman, born around February, 1818 – February 20, 1885.
Who was Frederick Douglas? See information below.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Frederick-Douglass
EVENTS:
Here is what is going on in the Rochester area:
1. The Frederick Douglas Family Initiative announce Douglas Week 2023
#DouglassWeek | Save The Date
July 10-16, 2023We hope you will mark your calendars for July 10-16, 2023, and plan to join us for our third annual #DouglassWeek! Whether you attend in person in Rochester, NY, or virtually from around the globe, you’ll experience seven days of talks, walks, performances and other events commemorating Frederick Douglass and other changemakers whose legacies continue to influence our efforts to create a more just world.
2. The Urban League’s annual Interrupt Racism Symposium should be on your calendar for September 19 & 20, 2023. See below:
NEWS, HISTORY & RESOURCES:
3. A must for the 4th of July is to read or listen to Frederick Douglas’s 4th of July speech. Two printed versions are linked below:
https://www.learningforjustice.org/classroom-resources/texts/what-to-the-slave-is-the-fourth-of-july (abbreviated speech)
https://www.theroot.com/what-to-the-slave-is-the-fourth-of-july-1836083536 (full speech)
4. We are sharing just 1 item from the latest edition of the CNN Newsletter Race Deconstructed this week (there are 2 more, go to racedeconstructed@newsletters.cnn.com):
a. The gutting of affirmative action is a ‘clear and present danger’ to equal education, critics say.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/29/us/affirmative-action-impact-reaj/index.html
5. We repeat this item from last week.
With the expected affirmative action decisions from the U.S. Supreme Court to be issued any day now we provide information from The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. The Conference is organizing a rally outside of the Supreme Court on decision day and will be distributing resources/updates to the civil rights community: sign up here for updates.
6. George Yeadon shares a book review on “Black Folk” written by Blair LM Kelley
7. Bill Wynne shares information from the Poor People’s Campaign, A National Call for Moral Revival.
Join us as We Build the Third Reconstruction – Poor People’s Campaign (poorpeoplescampaign.org)
8. Richard Glaser provides an interesting article on ‘Gus Newport – Rochester Native Son and iconic civil rights leader’.
9. Here are 7 of articles that deal with Race, Hate or Intolerance found in this past week’s D&C. We list in order of appearance:
a. ‘Central Park Five’ member runs for office (Harmed by the system, he is running to improve the system).
https://rochesterdemocrat-ny.newsmemory.com/?publink=0b080f1ba_134ac03
b. Mississippi midwives’ superpower (The medical system may not work for expectant Black mothers so they developed their own).
https://rochesterdemocrat-ny.newsmemory.com/?publink=07835d153_134ac05
c. SILICON VALLEY’S BLACK PIONEERS (achieving greatness despite the odds against it).
https://rochesterdemocrat-ny.newsmemory.com/?publink=011cd2477_134ac05
d. UK village marks anniversary of fight against US Army racism (Another shocking story of our ugly history).
https://rochesterdemocrat-ny.newsmemory.com/?publink=1b3fc0075_134ac07
e. Teen who rang wrong doorbell recounts being shot (Does fear justify potentially lethal response?).
https://rochesterdemocrat-ny.newsmemory.com/?publink=26b694517_134ac09
f. DISPARATE IMPACT (Black and minority communities health is impacted at a higher rate than White).
https://rochesterdemocrat-ny.newsmemory.com/?publink=2b0d2d0b8_134ac09
g. High court forbids college affirmative action (Decision ignores the realities of many decades of discrimination).
https://rochesterdemocrat-ny.newsmemory.com/?publink=12f9063a1_134ac0a
OPPORTUNITIES:
10. Seeking a scholarship or funding for your organization? Check out grant opportunities at the Rochester Area Community Foundation.
Grant Opportunities – Rochester Area Community Foundation (racf.org)
Please share any opportunities for employment, assistance, grants, etc. that you are aware of with the community by sending them to “tcmitch1951@gmail.com”.
SUPPORT BLACK OWNED BUSINESSES:
11. 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)
a. Can’t find a Black Real Estate Agent? See below.
That is all for this week! Enjoy the 4th of July weekend & holiday!
If you have an item to include in the week’s sharing we need to have it by noon Friday.