There will be no Weekly Sharing on 7/18 & 7/25 2026. Will return 8/01/2026
Today is Saturday, July 11. At sundown Wednesday, July 22nd – sundown Thursday, 23rd is Tisha B’Av, an annual fast day in Judaism, on which a number of disasters in Jewish history occurred, primarily the destruction of both Solomon’s Temple and the Second Temple in Jerusalem. Friday, July 31 is the Catholic celebration of the Feast of St. Ignatius Loyola founder of the Society of Jesus and patron saint of soldiers. July is Disability Pride month to raise awareness and to enhance pride into people with disabilities.
Quote of the week for July 11, 2026: “Let us pick up our books and our pens, they are the most powerful weapons.” Malala Yousafzai born July 12, 1997 – present; Pakistani education activist.
Quote of the week for July 18, 2026: “We cannot denounce white supremacy and allow its endorsers to continue serving in our government.” Cori Bush born July 21, 1976 – present; nurse and former US Representative from Missouri.
Featured civil rights activist/abolitionist/pioneer, July 11, 2026: Malala Yousafzai born July 12, 1997 – present; Pakistani education activist.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Malala-Yousafzai
Featured civil rights activist/abolitionist/pioneer, July 18, 2026: Cori Bush born July 21, 1976 – present; nurse and former US Representative from Missouri.
EVENTS
1. Today we celebrate NYS Abolition Commemoration Day (officially July 13), Saturday, July 11, 2026, 2:00 – 3:00 PM at Rochester’s Maplewood Park. See background information below.
2. Caring with Pride- July 24, 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM, 1000 E Henritta Rd, find flyer below,
3. The Black Culture Festival will take place Saturday, July 25 on Parcel 5 in downtown Rochester. See item #14.b. below for more information and tickets.
4. The aggressive arrest, detention and deportation of so many Brown and Black people by ICE is not often named as a race issue. But surely it is a sign of this administration’s commitment to White Christian Nationalism. The national protest/boycott of Citizens Bank is one means of combating this effort. Citizens Bank is the primary finance source for the companies that build and manage the detention centers, including GEO Group which will manage the Federal Building detention center. Please consider attending the protest on Saturday July 25, 10:00 – 11:00 at the Citizens Bank branch on Monroe Ave. in front of Pittsford Plaza. For more information contact Frank Staropoli at frankstaropoli506@gmail.com
5. See Item #20 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. Drew Saur shares this article from the NY Times “At Trump’s Direction, Federal Agencies Are Abandoning Discrimination Cases”.
7. We repeat, Pamela Reese Smith’s Op Ed piece “Understanding the fine print of freedom”
8. 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.
9. From the Medium Daily Digest, we share 3 pieces (some are Opinion pieces);
a. “How Black Women Breastfeeding White Babies Exposes Racism More Than Hate“ by Dr. Allison Wiltz
b. “Why Stories Black People Write About Racism Are Often Suppressed“ by Dr. Allison Wiltz
c. “What Freedom For Black People Was Like in 1776“ by William Spivey
10. Pat Mitchell shares this story of a tragic death of a young Black man in Mississippit that appears to have be surpressed.
” I find it weird that captions won’t generate on this story. Why, TikTok? #independentjournalist #fyp #breakingnews #sharethis #investigativejournalism | Total Hypocrisy |” Facebook https://www.facebook.com/reel/2006852913267219/ https://www.facebook.com/reel/2006852913267219/?referral_source=external_deeplink&original_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fshare%2Fv%2F1EY8ntBj5Q%2F%3Fmibextid%3DwwXIfr&hpir=1&http_ref=eyJ0cyI6MTc4MzYyMjQ0NTAwMCwiciI6IiJ9&http_ref=eyJ0cyI6MTc4MzYyMjQ0NTAwMCwiciI6IiJ9
11. Find the latest Urban League of Rochester’s Interrupter Newsletter.
https://mailchi.mp/ulr/the-interrupter-newsletter-july-10-2026?e=25818c1f26
12. 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.
13. Here are two articles from this week’s Beacon:
a. Early Learning Corps prepares for full launch in Rochester
https://rochesterbeacon.com/2026/07/07/early-learning-corps-prepares-for-full-launch-in-rochester/
b. Holy Childhood combats illiteracy with adaptive learning
https://rochesterbeacon.com/2026/07/08/holy-childhood-combats-illiteracy-with-adaptive-learning/
14. 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. Black Culture Festival 7 Returns
https://www.minorityreporter.net/post/black-culture-festival-7-returns
15. There are 5 articles that deal with Race, Poverty, Hate or Intolerance found in the D&C this past week.
a. For 20 years, Rochester man has brought Frederick Douglass back to life
b. New byway would spotlight Rochester Underground Railroad history
c. Museums fight to retain unsavory history (Trump order seeks to cut out ‘divisive ideology’)
d. Rochester teens reveal challenges, hopes ahead
e. ‘Sounding the alarm for years’ (article on report outling the need for NYS prison reform)
OPPORTUNITIES:
16. 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”.
17. Connected Communities Parcel x Parcel Volunteer Event. See below for an opportunity to assist in an inventory>
18. 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/
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. Chocolate Mindfulness & Mocktails at AltBar at 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