Today is Saturday, June 27. Monday, July 29 is the Feast of St. Peter and Paul, a Catholic liturgical feast in honor of the martyrdom of Saints Peter and Paul in Rome. These two apostles hold significance as the leading saints of the early church. June is African American culture and emancipation (Juneteenth), National Indigenous History month, Caribbean American Heritage month and LGBTQ+ Pride month.
Quote of the week: “We educated, privileged lawyers have a professional and moral duty to represent the underrepresented in our society, to ensure that justice exists for all, both legal and economic justice.” Sonia Sotomayor born June 25, 1954, American supreme court justice.
Featured civil rights activist/abolitionist/pioneer: Sonia Sotomayor born June 25, 1954, American supreme court justice.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sonia-Sotomayor
EVENTS
1. George Yeadon suggests joining the Independence Week Town Hall: The American Idea at 250, Wednesday, July 1 | 6:30 p.m. ET | In Person and Online. See below for details and to register.
2. The next Urban League Interrupt Racism Speaker Series is Friday, July 10, 12:00 – 1:00 PM. The topic “Taking Responsibility for Our Implicit Bias” by Dr. Shira May. Register below.
Urban League of Rochester – July 2026 INTERRUPT RACISM™ Speaker Series
3. Are you aware of NYS Abolition Commemoration Day? Saturday, July 11, 2026, 2:00 – 3:00 PM at Rochester’s Maplewood Park. See background information below.
4. Caring with Pride- July 24, 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM, 1000 E Henritta Rd, find flyer below,
5. See Item #19 in the SUPPORT BLACK OWNED BUSINESSES section for Chocolate Mindfulness & Mocktails at AltBar the last Saturday of this month today, June 27th and next month July 25th from 3-4pm.
NEWS, HISTORY & RESOURCE
6. We provide Pamela Reese Smith’s recent D&C Op Ed piece “Understanding the fine print of freedom”.
7. Here is Bill Wynne’s 12th essay is the series started last August regarding the principles of our transcendent ‘Declaration of Independence’ utilizing the voices and insights of Frederick Douglass, Dr. Martin Luther King, and Langston Hughes to share their lived experiences regarding ours and their beloved country.
8. From the Medium Daily Digest, we share 3 pieces (some are Opinion pieces);
a. “Banning Black History Backfired. Now The Truth Must Be Restored“ by Dr. Allison Wiltz
b. “Before They Were White: How Different Groups Were Treated as Immigrants to America“ by William Spivey:
c. “America Doesn’t Struggle With History“ by The Color of My Politics
9. Find the latest Urban League of Rochester’s Interrupter Newsletter.
The Interrupter Newsletter – June 25, 2026
10. Friday, June 12 the ROC Community Table hosted Deputy Raymond Ruiz, Community Liaison for Immigrants, Refugees, Resettled Residents, and Asylees for the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO), to discuss MCSO’s role in immigration enforcement and community safety. Below are the notes from the session with the Deputy Sheriff.
11. Here are two articles from this week’s Beacon:
a. A trailblazer in Rochester banking
https://rochesterbeacon.com/2026/06/19/a-trailblazer-in-rochester-banking/
b. A budget’s bitter aftertaste –
https://rochesterbeacon.com/2026/06/25/a-budgets-bitter-aftertaste/
12. Here are two articles from this week’s Minority Reporter:
a. Open Letter to Monroe County DA Brian P Green: Do Plea Bargains in Violent Crime Cases Serve Justice?
b. Morelle, Meeks Cruise to Primary Victories as Rochester-Area Voters Head Toward November
13. We repeat Drew Saur sharing of an album review from Riff magazine: ‘Jon Batiste faithfully reinterprets the classics with ‘Black Mozart’’
https://riffmagazine.com/album-reviews/jon-batiste-black-mozart
14. There are 5 articles that deal with Race, Poverty, Hate or Intolerance found in the D&C this past week.
a. African and Caribbean states back slavery reparations plan
b. Millions fewer receiving food aid to SNAP as Democrats sound alarm
c. America at 250; Festival explores America, freedom (Events focus on Harlem, abolition, music history)
d. HEALING OUR DEMOCRACY (Opinion Piece:The trauma bay can teach us how to save our democracy)
e. Court sidesteps case on race in police encounters
OPPORTUNITIES:
15. 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. The Center for Governmental Research has undertaken an important survey ‘Understanding Black & African American Participation in Health Survey’ Please share with your network: https://www.cgr.org/understanding-black-and-african-american-participation-in-health-survey/
17. See link below for active grant opportunities administered by the Rochester Area Community Foundation in the area of arts, culture, aging, youth, labor/management relations.
SUPPORT BLACK OWNED BUSINESSES:
18. 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)
19. Chocolate Mindfulness & Mocktails at AltBar the last Saturday of this month, today, June 27th and next month July 25th from 3-4pm.
Description: Enjoy the rich flavors of chocolate while practicing mindfulness and sipping delicious mocktails crafted to complement your tasting journey. Come hang with Melissa Mueller-Douglas, LMSW, founder of Chocolate Mindfulness, to refocus your mind and taste buds.
Ticket: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chocolate-mindfulness-mocktails-tickets-1990737554615
If you have an item to include in the week’s sharing we need to have it by noon on Friday