Today is Saturday, 12/6/2025. Monday, December 8 is the Catholic Feast of the Immaculate Conception, a holy day of obilgation that celebrates that Mary was conceived without original sin so that she could one day conceive Jesus. Friday, December 12 is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a Catholic celebration of a man, Juan Diego who a vision of Mary who told him to build on the spot they were standing on a hill near Mexico City in 1531. Christians are now commemorating the season of Advent, a period of spiritual preparation when Christians make themselves ready for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, Christmas.
Quote of the week: “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” U.S. Congress; 13th Amendment to the Constitution ratified December 6, 1865.
Featured civil rights activist/abolitionist/pioneer: U.S. Congress; 13th Amendment to the Constitution ratified December 6, 1865.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Thirteenth-Amendment
Attention; New Half Day ERG program: Below you will find a link to a 90 second video message from the CEO of a private company in the Rochester area introducing an ERG Exploring Racism Group special half-day seminar on Thursday, January 15. Please talk to and share with friends, colleagues and relatives requesting that they consider attendance. https://drive.google.com/file/d/11aGqFQKLakBFEkpdLWnMQUvlY0wTw5Cq/view?usp=sharing
To register, use this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd3og5iNzdUz9qoG2e45FRliVE9l1WfEMR70DVVbGTRJW41Mw/viewform?usp=header
EVENTS
1. Jane Ballard invites you to join weekly Saturday Vigils, where from 12 noon to 1pm, we stand together on various corners in Rochester and suburbs with our Black Lives Matter signs. See item #16 below for more information.
2. There is a full week of activities as part of the INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS WEEK, Friday, December 5 through Sunday, December 14, a formal Celebration in the City of Rochester, NY, and the Region. See schedule below and an article overviewing the event found below.
News — The Interfaith Alliance of Rochester, NY
2025 International Human Rights Week
https://www.minorityreporter.net/post/2025-international-human-rights-week
3 Laurie Mahoney and Deni Mack share information on an upcoming Human Rights Conference to be held Sunday, December 14, from 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM at the Islamic Center of Rochester on Westfall Road. See link below for details.
4. Jerome Underwood will be featured as part of the ENLACE event, formerly the Western NY Coalition of Farmworker Serving Agencies. The event takes place on Dec 18, 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM at the George Eastman Museum. He has been selected as one of four ambassadors for the night to help tell the stories of migrant farm workers. See below for details.
5. The City of Rochester’s 2025 COMMUNITY-WIDE KWANZAA CELEBRATION kicks off, Friday, December 26 at 5:00 PM at City Hall. See item #12.b. below for details and other locations of the celebration through January 1, 2026.
6. Action for a Better Community’s Signature Event will take place with virtual sessions on January 8th and 15th and awards breakfast on January 23rd. See below for details.
2026 Signature Conference Series – Action for a Better Community
NEWS, HISTORY & RESOURCE
7. Erin Coffey provided this article on an issue that is important to recognize: “Why are so many Black women losing their jobs? An expert blames three factors.”
https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/black-women-unemployment-rate
8. From the Medium Daily Digest we share 3 pieces;
a. “No, we’re not racist. Just realistic.“ by William Penn:
https://medium.com/the-polis/no-were-not-racist-just-realistic-d725d18abe3e
b. “Open Letter to Congressman Jamie Raskin“ by Garrick McFadden:
https://garrickmcfadden.medium.com/open-letter-to-congressman-jamie-raskin-04300f435a96
c. “White Man, You Are the Victim… and I, Your Humble Minority, Am Here to Confirm Your Greatness” by Frazer Domino:
9. Here is Bill Wynne’s, Declaration of Independence Series, Essay 5: “The Right to Revolution”; introducing this 5th essay, Ms. Fannie Lou Hamer, an important figure in the ’60’s Civil Rights movement. You can learn more about her in Bill’s prologue to the essay at https://www.wewynneauthor.com/2025/11/29/declaration-of-independence-essay-5-the-right-to-revolution/ .
10. We repeat this item: Jalil Muntaqim asked (via ERG’s “Contact Us” page on the website), “Why there has not been a study on housing development and harm done by gentrification to Black and Brown communities?” Below is what we found:
a. Causes and Consequences of Separate and Unequal Neighborhoods | Urban Institute
b. https://ncrc.org/displaced-by-design/
11. The Rochester Museum and Science Center has had several exhibits that provide the history of aspects of Race and Racism. Below are two premanent exhibits. Check them out. :
a. Objectively Racist: How Objects and Images Perpetuate Racism… And What We Can Do To Change It. | Rochester Museum & Science Center https://rmsc.org/exhibits/objectively-racist/
b. Flight to Freedom: Rochester’s Underground Railroad | Rochester Museum & Science Center https://rmsc.org/exhibits/flight-to-freedom/
12: Here are two articles from this week’s The Minority Reporter:
a. Back to the Center: CRCDS Plants New Roots Downtown
https://www.minorityreporter.net/post/back-to-the-center-crcds-plants-new-roots-downtown
b. 2025 COMMUNITY-WIDE KWANZAA CELEBRATION
https://www.minorityreporter.net/post/2025-community-wide-kwanzaa-celebration
13. Here are two articles from this week’s Rochester Beacon:
a. Monroe County should prioritize family investment over surveillance (Opinion piece).
b. Special screening of ‘Running to Stand Still’ slated.
https://rochesterbeacon.com/2025/12/03/special-screening-of-running-to-stand-still-slated/
14. Here is the latest Urban League of Rochester ‘Interrupter Racism’ newsletter:
http://eepurl.com/jsOeHQ
15. There are 3 articles that deal with Race, Poverty, Hate or Intolerance found in D&C this past week.
a. Rochesterians, police working together to reduce crime (cooperation and collaboration can yield positive results).
b. Tours shed light on Madrid’s Black history (similar to many places in U.S.).
c. Justices revive pro-GOP Texas voting map (New districts could flip up to 5 Dem-held seats).
OPPORTUNITIES: We share opportunities to get involved in addressing some of the communities challenges. Please share any opportunities for employment, assistance, grants, etc. that you are aware of with the community by sending them to “tcmitch1951@gmail.com”.
16. Elders and Allies connected to Free The People ROC. We are a social justice group of seasoned black and white activists who came together after the death of Daniel Prude five years ago. We engage in various projects that connect to issues of racism in Rochester. One of those projects is our Saturday Vigils, where from 12 noon to 1pm, we stand together on various corners in Rochester and suburbs with our Black Lives Matter signs. It is a simple action but we are made aware each week from the responses we get, both positive and negative, that the message is an important reminder to those who drive by. We invite anyone who would like to jon us to contact me for information and for a sign. Contact Jane Ballard for the next Saturday Vigil at ballardjane503@gmail.com
17. The Urban League of Rochester’s Scholarship Program is open. It is not too early to consider and apply. See below for information and application.
https://www.urbanleagueroc.org/scholarships
18. The Rochester Area Community Foundations Scholarship Program is now open. Check out the link below for Rochester Area Scholarships and Award Resources – Rochester Area Community Foundation
https://www.racf.org/scholarships/search-for-scholarships/
SUPPORT BLACK OWNED BUSINESSES:
19. 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)
20. Need a place to go for all of your Holiday Shopping needs? Check out the Women of Color International, 539 South Avenue:
If you have an item to include in the week’s sharing we need to have it by noon on Friday.
Thank you!