Today is Saturday, July 4. Today is the July 4 holiday, Independence Day, the annual commemoration of our nation’s separation from foriegn rule with the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. This year, the celebration of the 250th birthday of our country.
Quote of the week: “The problem is whether the American people have honesty enough, loyalty enough, honor enough, patriotism enough to live up to their own Constitution.” Frederick Douglass; American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer and statesman, born around February, 1818 – February 20, 1885.
Featured civil rights activist/abolitionist/pioneer: Frederick Douglass; American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer and statesman, born around February, 1818 – February 20, 1885.
https://www.whitehousehistory.org/frederick-douglass
EVENTS
1. 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
2. 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.
3. Caring with Pride- July 24, 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM, 1000 E Henritta Rd, find flyer below,
4. See Item #17 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
5. Sandra Katz provided multiple links to Frederick Douglass delivered the speech “What to the slave is the fourth of July?” July 5, 1852,
a. Abridged speech:
https://masshumanities.org/files/programs/douglass/speech_abridged_med.pdf
b. Organizing the reading of Frederick Douglass’s speech:
c. The unabridged version of the speech: https://masshumanities.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Reading-Frederick-Douglass-Together_speech_full.pdf
d. What to the Slave Is the 4th of July?”: James Earl Jones Reads Frederick Douglass’s Historic Speech” on YouTube
6. We repeat, Pamela Reese Smith’s Op Ed piece “Understanding the fine print of freedom”
7. We repeat 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. “Racesplaining: When People Doing Racist Shit Try to Explain Why It Isn’t Racist“ by William Spivey
b. “Why Does Kwanzaa, a Black Holiday, Make Some White People Mad“ by Dr. Allison Wiltz
c. “Why Black People Are Often Exposed to Low Quality Food“ by Dr. Allison Wiltz
9. Find the latest Urban League of Rochester’s Interrupter Newsletter.
The Interrupter Newsletter – July 2, 2026
10. The ROC Community Table released its thought paper on June 30, “Claiming a Seat at the Table”. The ROC Community Table consists of a group of citizens that came together after the 2024 Presidential election to plan for the repair, resist, repair and rebuild of the elimination of many civil rights, programs and funding threathened by the President-Elect of the Project 2025 policy platform. The paper addresses many fundamental aspects of our democracy and rights including the 2nd section “A Community Vision for Advancing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion”. The full paper is found at the link below.
11. Here are two articles from this week’s Minority Reporter:
a. Outgoing Penfield school board president reflects on turbulent tenure, defends superintendent amid leadership challenges
b. Buffalo Bills Leave O.J. Simpson Out of New Stadium Honors, Closing a Complicated Chapter in Franchise History
12. There are 5 articles that deal with Race, Poverty, Hate or Intolerance found in the D&C this past week.
a. Oscar winner to appear at ‘Hidden Figures’ screening (one of the three Black women who were the mathematical brains
behind NASA during the 1960s Space Race)
b. NEW YORK’S ROLE IN OUR HISTORY (Rochester Black Heritage Committee’s century of history)
c. Recent high court opinions show contention over race
d. BROADWAY DIVERSITY (THEATER CASTS USE ART AS AN ANTIDOTE FOR OPPRESSION)
e. Somali Independence Day brings celebration to Parcel 5
OPPORTUNITIES:
13. 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”.
14. 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/
15. 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:
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. Chocolate Mindfulness & Mocktails at AltBar the last this 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