Today is Saturday, September 7. September has many designations including National Suicide Prevention month and National Recovery month. Today is also, Ganesh Chaturthi a Hindu festival that honors the deity of wisdom and prosperity, Lord Ganesha.. Sunday, September 8 is the International Literacy Day, a day for call to action for universal literacy. Wednesday, September 11 is Coptic New Year/Nayrouz, a feast day in Coptic Orthodox Christianity that commemorates martyrs and confessors.
Quote of the Week: “I remember being in Japan when Destiny’s Child put out ‘Independent Women,’ and women there were saying how proud they were to have their own jobs, their own independent thinking, their own goals. It made me feel so good, and I realized that one of my responsibilities was to inspire women in a deeper way.” Beyoncé Knowles, singer-songwriter and actress born September 4, 1981 – present
Featured Civil Rights Activist/Abolitionist/Pioneer for this week:
Beyoncé Knowles, singer-songwriter and actress born September 4, 1981 – present
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Beyonce
EVENTS:
1. Tickets are now on sale for the Urban League – Rochester’s (UL-R) 5th Annual ‘Interrupt Racism’ Summit to be held at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center on 9/18/2024 . 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.
2024 Interrupt Racism Summit Tickets On Sale Now! (mailchi.mp)
2. Please join us to celebrate ERG’s 5 year birthday celebration Tuesday, September 24, 5-7 pm.
Enjoy music, food, an open bar and connecting with dozens of committed leaders.
RSVP for this special event, and feel free to invite others: http://evite.me/QCsFn5A2eD
We appreciate these organizations for their continued support and event sponsorship: Butler/Till, ESL, Canandaigua National Bank & Trust, VP Supply Corp, Go Beyond Rochester, ITX, The Ramerman Group.
3. George Eastman Museum presents ‘In This Moment; Revolution, Reckoning, Reparation’, a book launch and panel discussion to be held on Monday, September 30, 2024 from 6:30 – 8:30 PM at the Dryden Theatre. See the link below for details.
https://www.eastman.org/moment-vol-3
4. George Yeodan suggests this program offered by the Smithsonian Associates, ‘Bloody Tuesday: The Untold Story of the Struggle for Civil Rights in Tuscaloosa’ on Tuesday, October 8, 2024 – 6:45 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET. See details at link below.
5. Monday, October 14 is Indigenous People’s Day. There are 3 major gatherings that day in City parks at sunrise, noon and sunset. The City of Rochester is sponsoring but is seekig co-sponsors. Attached below are details for the day and an application for co-sponsors.
6. Donna Richie shares information on the University of Rochester’s Annual Diversity conference on Tuesday, Friday, October 15 from 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center. See information below.
7. Action for a Better Community (ABC) will hold it’s 2025 Signature Conference on January 9th & 16th (virtual both days) and January 23rd, In-person Awards Breakfast. ABC is celebrating 60 years of “Empowering Communities and Inspiring Change”. Save the dates. More information to follow on programs and presentations as well as sponsorship opportunities.
NEWS, HISTORY & RESOURCES:
8. We repeat this Rochester Business Journal published an article on ERG that provides the back story on the program. Take a look.
9. Anika Flagg provides this article challenging thinking on Land Acknowledgements. Important reading.
10. Here is a video interview with Jalil Muntaqim with the Citizen Action of New York, Rochester Chapter. He shares some of his personal history with the Black Panther movement in Oakland, CA as well as discusses to bills before the NYS Legislature, the Money and MILC bills. Citizen Action is advocating these bills be enacted into law. Both bills are extremely important to save infants from infant mortality, especially Black and Brown babies who have the highest infant mortality rate, and the Gate Money bill that will serve to decrease recidivism and crime in the community.
11. Here is an opinion piece from The Minority Reporter providing insights on the “Disenfranchised Voter”.
https://www.minorityreporter.net/post/the-disenfranchised-voter
12. George Yeadon shares this piece from the NY Times on the Harlem Renaissance.
A Visual History of the Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance changed the world. We’ve gathered dozens of images, many that we’ve never published, showing the people and the art that they created.https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/arts/harlem-renaissance-100-anniversary.html?campaign_id=37&emc=edit_rr_20240906&instance_id=133576&nl=race/related®i_id=64458972&segment_id=177061&te=1&user_id=16b1a6210f6c031bde183ce4b13184b8
13. There are 3 articles that deal with Race, Poverty, Hate or Intolerance found in D&C over the past week.
a. Rochester tenants face torrid rental market (shelter is a basic necessity, how is it made accessible?).
b. Monumental growth (Tributes to Black history are replacing Confederate statues and reclaiming public space, but not without backlash)
c. Failure to repair, fund public housing can risk lives (this is a public health crisis that government seems to deprioritize).
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. Here is an important program to share with those that could benefit from skills that lead to a career in the Building Trades, The Multi-Craft Apprenticeship Preparation Program. See the link below.
http://www.mappinc.org/
15. Amy Stein shares that the Rochester Education Foundation is seeking career models for the Future Fair which will be held on October 11 at St John Fisher to bring hope, inspiration, and excitement to all RCSD 7th graders to help them imagine the possibilities for their bright future ahead. Hoping to have all 100 career models secured by September 1.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1xOrw-Aml7BASvP3bUsnfEf4CylJVv870CchDrxM0kdA/edit
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 for a new restaurant? Give the new Vault Cafe & Cabaret on Culver Road in Rochester a try.
If you have an item to include in the week’s sharing we need to have it by noon on Friday.
Thank you!