Today is Saturday, May 23. Monday is Memorial Day, a federal U.S. holiday dedicated to mourning and honoring of military personnel who died in the line of duty. Today is the last day of Shavuot, the Jewish celebration of the spring harvest season and the gift of the Torah. Today, through Sunday, May 24 is the Baha’i’ Declaration of the Bab marking the inception of the Baha’i faith in 1844. Tomorrow is Pentecost Sunday; the day Christians commemorate the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ. Tuesday through Wednesday, May 26 – May 27 is Islamic festival of sacrifice that commemorates the faith of Abraham, Eid-ul-Adha. Thursday, May 28 through Friday, May 29 is the Baha’i Ascension of Baha’u’llah. A commemoration of a day when the founder and prophet of the Baha’i faith died in 1892.
Announcing the next Exploring Racism Group Special Information Session, Tuesday, June 9. Find all information at the preceding link.
Quote of the week: “I think a lot of the source of how people are treated depends on the fact if someone recognizes them as a human being or not, you know what I mean?” Ryan Coogler born May 23, 1986, American filmmaker.
Featured civil rights activist/abolitionist/pioneer: Ryan Coogler born May 23, 1986, American filmmaker.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ryan-Coogler
EVENTS
1. ‘Whose Revolution? Whose Freedom?: A Storytelling Journey for Truth and Healing’ will be the topic of
the program to be held on Thursday, May 28. Author and a descendant of Queen Catharine Montour, a Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) leader, will
speak from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Central Library of Rochester & Monroe County’s Kate Gleason Auditorium, 115 South Ave. Registration is not required. The event also will be livestreamed at:
https://www.youtube.com/@RochesterPublicLibraryNY/streams. It will explore how thousands of
Haudenosaunee were caught up in the Revolution.
2. Monica Gebell shares information on the Mort Skirboll Lecture on Antisemitism with Dr. Rachel Fish on Monday, June 1. See details below.
3. The next Urban League Interrupt Racism Speaker Series is scheduled for Friday, June 5, 12:00 – 1:00 PM. See below for details.
4. On June 7, Michael Oberg, a professor of history at SUNY Geneseo, will discuss ‘You Live on Stolen
Land: Indigenous Dispossession and the Revolution in New York State.’ The event will be held from 2 to
3:30 p.m. at the Pittsford Community Library’s Fisher Meeting Room, 24 State St.
Registration is recommended; go to https://calendar.libraryweb.org/event/16814596.
5. Juneteenth will be here before you know it. The City of Rochester 2026 Juneteenth Festival & Parade are scheduled for Friday, June 19 and Saturday, June 20. See below for details.
2026 Juneteenth Festival – Rochester Area Community Foundation https://www.racf.org/about/events/2026-juneteenth-festival/
6. Are you aware of NYS Abolition Commemoration Day? Saturday, July 11, 2026, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM at Rochester’s Maplewood Park. See background information below.
NEWS, HISTORY & RESOURCE
7. Borrowed from the Urban League’s Interrupt Racism Newsletter, a must read for Memorial Day: The Overlooked Black History of Memorial Day “Martyrs of the Race Course”
8. Richard Glaser shares this opinion piece from the NY Times by Jamelle Bouie “The Law They Hate Was a High Point of Our History”
9. Drew Saur shares this article from the NYTimes: Why Neutral Maps Could Empower Black Voters as Much as the Voting Rights Act:
10. Here is a piece from Heather Cox Richardson ‘Letters from an American’ providing background on the Civil Rights and Voting Rights legislation.
11. With the Memorial Day holiday weekend and the start of beach season we share 2 articles on once segregated beaches:
a. Jim Ramerman shares this one “Fewer Crowds Make This Little-known Virginia Beach a Perfect Summer Destination” (be sure to click in the link in the 2nd paragraph in the article “first landing place of Africans”)
b. The Story of Chicken Bone Beach. by William Spivey:
12. From the Medium Daily Digest, we share 3 pieces;
a. “America is Very Much a Racist Country, Part 1: The Supreme Court“ by William Spivey:
“America is Very Much a Racist Country, Part Two: The Executive Branch” by William Spivey:
c. “America is Very Much a Racist Country, Part Three Congress” by William Spivey
13. Here are two an article from this week’s The Minority Reporter:
a. 2026 ROC the Block Community Employment Fairs
https://www.minorityreporter.net/post/2026-roc-the-block-community-employment-fairs
b. Dual Credit Digital Photography Students Display Work Inside RIT’s City Art Space
14. Find the latest Urban League of Rochester’s Interrupter Newsletter.
The Interrupter Newsletter – May 21, 2026
15. The ROC Community Table met last week with, Stephan DeVay of the Monroe County Democratic Committee (MCDC) and Peter Elder of the
Monroe County Republican Party (MCRP) discussing the role of political parties, public trust in government, election integrity, voter confidence, and civic engagement. Below are the notes from the meeting.
16. Here is one article from this week’s Beacon:
A run club with a mission
https://rochesterbeacon.com/2026/05/18/a-run-club-with-a-mission/
17. There are 6 articles that deal with Race, Poverty, Hate or Intolerance found in the D&C this past week.
a. NY police force drew federal scrutiny for misconduct. What’s changed?
b. City faced labor unrest, housing shortage after war (before school desegregation, housing shortages drove whites to the suburbs).
c. Events look at lasting impact of on Native Americans
d. NEW EFFORTS ECHO PAST (Some see history repeating after ruling on voting act)
e. Rochester Juneteenth fest returns with Danielle Rochester
f. Hochul announces $490M MWBE milestone at new Bills stadium. What it means https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/sports/football/nfl/bills/2026/05/21/hochul-bills-stadium-490m-mwbe-milestone-highmark/90183619007/
OPPORTUNITIES:
18. 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”.
19. The City of Rochester announces ROC Youth Employment Network applications are now open, offering summer work experience to ages 14–20:
SUPPORT BLACK OWNED BUSINESSES:
20. 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)
21. It has become a wonderful breakfast and lunch spot at the corner of East Henrietta Road and Westfall Road in the Costco shopping plaza, The Toast Factory. Check it out!
The Toast Factory https://www.thetoastfactory.net/
If you have an item to include in the week’s sharing we need to have it by noon on Friday.