Today is Saturday, 1/17/2026. Monday, January 19 is the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. national birthday commemoration. His actual birthday was Thursday, January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968. See the many observances this weekend through the month of January below in the EVENTS section.
Quote of the week: “The fun for me in collaboration is, one, working with other people just makes you smarter; that’s proven.” Lin-Manuel Miranda born January 16, 1980 – present, American songwriter and actor.
Featured civil rights activist/abolitionist/pioneer: Lin-Manuel Miranda born January 16, 1980 – present, American songwriter and actor.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lin-Manuel-Miranda
1. Action for a Better Community’s Signature Event will continue with the awards breakfast on January 22nd. See below for details.
2026 Signature Conference Series – Action for a Better Community
2. George Yeadon and Frank Staropoli share that the Pittsford CommUNITY is pleased to announce: The Martin Luther King Jr. Living the Dream Series. The 2026 series will kick off with the Mobile Museum of Tolerance showing short films and having a discussion on Wednesday January 14th 7-9pm. The next week we will have a Spoken Word Performance followed by an open mic/poetry slam Wednesday January 21 7-9pm. The series concludes with an interfaith service on Sunday January 25th from 3-5pm. All events are free and open to the public. ASL interpreting will be provided. See flyer below:
3. Rochester Museum & Science Center will host their Martin Luther King Jr. Day Weekend, Saturday, 17 through Monday, January 19.
https://rmsc.org/events/mlkday-2/
4. RIT is hosting “Let Freedom Ring” on MLK Day with keynote speaker Nickesia Gordan on January, 19, 10:30 AM – 1:00 PM at the Ingle Auditorium. See below for details and registration.
https://www.rit.edu/events/let-freedom-ring-4
5. The Strong National Museum of Play will host the MLK Jr. Day of Compassion on Monday, 19, see below for details. https://www.museumofplay.org/event/mlk-jr-day-of-compassion-2/
6. Greater Rochester Martin Luther King Jr. Commission will host its 2026 commemoration on Monday, January 19, 2026, 10:30 AM at the Eastman Theater. Find more information at the link below.
7. Kyle Palmer shares that the film “Being Black in America: Discussion & Collective Action” will be shown at the Legacy Drama House, January 19 at 3:00 PM. This is a free event, but you must register in order to be admitted.
8. Nazareth University is holding its “King for a Day” community service day as well as other events starting January 19. See below for details.
https://www2.naz.edu/culture-community-belonging/mlk-day-celebration
9. RIT is holding its annual “Expressions of King’s Legacy” with keynote speaker Dr. Eddie Glaude Jr. on Thursday, January 29, 2026, 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM at the RIT Gordon Field House. Please see below for details and to register.
https://share.google/HRSUWzSluEt68eigD
10. The University of Rochester, Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Address with keynote speaker Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, President of Repairers of the Breach and Co-Chair of the Poor People’s Campaign held Thursday, January 29, 2026, 5:30 – 6:30 pm in the Strong Auditorium at 417 Alumni Rd. See below for more information and to register.
https://www.rochester.edu/oee/martin-luther-king-jr-commemorative-address/
https://events.rochester.edu/event/mlk-address-2026
11. George Yeadon shares this information on a number of programs offered by America’s Town Hall. We suggest the The Declaration of Independence and the Push for Racial Equality offered on Monday, February 2, 1 p.m. ET. See below for this one and others.
12. Author Bill Wynne will present his essay “The American Creed: Promise and Paradox” premised on the key principles of the Declaration of Independence and portrayed through the collective lenses of three famous black icons: orator Frederick Douglass, activist Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and poet Langston Hughes.I wanted to let you know of a presentation I will be doing on Thursday, February 5th, 2:00 PM at the Webster Public Library. Please see the details below as posted on the library’s website event page for February (see https://websterlibrary.libcal.com/event/14994246).
NEWS, HISTORY & RESOURCE
13. Are you aware of the New York State Community Commission on Reparaations Remedies? Check out the webiste and the legislation that commissioned it at the links below.
New York State Community Commission on Reparations Remedies | The State of New York
The New York State Community Commission on Reparations Remedies is tasked with examining the legacy of slavery, subsequent discrimination against people of African descent, and the impact these forces continue to have in the present day. Governor Hochul signed bill S.1163-A/A.7691 establishing the Commission on December 19, 2023.
14. RMAPI, Rochester Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative asks your help in spreading awareness about their ‘Our Voices, Our Power’ initiative through your network. Critical safety net programs are at risk, please see the link below and sign up to receive the “stories” of impact and other information.
15. We had many responses from readers that stated this video shared by Kyle Palmer was valuable for them. We repeat it for others ‘A conversation between a white cop and a black protestor’.
https://youtu.be/z-bdrPXOYy8?si=hCncE6dvp9YAgoSy
16. From the Medium Daily Digest, we share 3 pieces (some are Opinion pieces);
a. “Do All Lives Matter? Race and the Coverage of Renee Good“ by Frances A. Chiu, Ph.D.
b. “Why in the World Would White People Not Have to Apologize for Being White?“ by cindee D Renee
c. “How to argue against reverse racism using textual relativity“:
17. Find the first Urban League of Rochester’s first Interrupter Newsletter of 2026.
http://eepurl.com/jwheiI
18. Here is one article from this week’s The Minority Reporter:
a. Greater Rochester Martin Luther King Jr. Commission Renews Call for “Beloved Community”
19. Here is one article from this week’s Beacon:
An icon in Rochester’s Black community
https://rochesterbeacon.com/2026/01/09/an-icon-in-rochesters-black-community/
20. There are 4 articles that deal with Race, Poverty, Hate or Intolerance found in 9 D&C this past week.
a. Mayor, rights group decry Mississippi synagogue fire.
b. ‘Reverse discrimination’ talk draws ire ‘Reverse discrimination’ talk draws ire
c. Department of Labor under 0re for messaging
d. Events underway in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.
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”.
21. 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
22. 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:
23. 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)
24. Planning a corporate retreat or a strategic planning session? Check out MYRetreat Chocolate Mindfulness program:
https://www.chocolatemindfulness.co
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If you have an item to include in the week’s sharing we need to have it by noon on Friday.