Category: Uncategorized
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Rochester’s Police Accountability Board was created to give residents an independent way to challenge police misconduct. In March 2026, an appellate ruling stripped the board of most of the powers that made that promise meaningful. The ruling took away the PAB’s ability to conduct independent misconduct investigations, issue subpoenas, compel testimony, use a disciplinary matrix,…
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Before the Bus: Rosa Parks Was a Victim Advocate Who Fought for Justice Her Whole Life Content note: This article discusses sexual violence and racial violence. The Rosa Parks story most people learn Most people know Rosa Parks as the Black woman who refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus on December…
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The Organizer Behind the Movement: Ella Baker and the Challenge to MLK When many people picture the Civil Rights Movement, they picture Martin Luther King Jr. speaking from a pulpit, a march, or a microphone. His voice was powerful. His leadership mattered. But movements are never built by one person alone. Behind every major speech…
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Ida B. Wells and the Power of the Pen: Owning Our Narrative in the Digital Age Every community has a story. The question is: Who gets to tell it? For generations, Black communities have often been described by people outside of them. Newspapers, television stations, politicians, police departments, and other institutions have shaped public opinion…
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Building Safer Streets: What Rochester, National Models, and the World Teach Us About Reducing Crime
When discussions turn to public safety and crime reduction, it is easy to default to polarized debates. Some argue exclusively for stricter law enforcement and heavier sentencing, while others champion sweeping social programs and community investment. But ask any criminologist, local leader, or neighborhood activist, and you will hear a different reality: building safer streets…
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History has a way of highlighting the same few names over and over. While those names deserve every bit of credit, there are others whose stories are just as wild, inspiring, and important. One of those names is Austin Steward. If you haven’t heard of him, you’re about to meet a man who went from…
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10 Black Women Who Invented the Future (And How You Can Too) Ever wonder why your morning routine is so smooth? Or how you’re able to hop on a Zoom call while your GPS tells you exactly how many minutes you are from your next meeting? We often take the technology around us for granted,…
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The Trillion-Dollar Receipt: Calculating the Economy of Slavery When we talk about the history of the United States, we often hear about “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps.” We hear about the “American Dream” and the hard work that built this country into a global powerhouse. But for the Black community here in Rochester and…
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Frederick Douglass wasn’t just a former slave who became free. He was a man who beat the system, fought back literally and figuratively, and became one of the most important voices in American history. His story is raw, complicated, and honestly more incredible than most people realize. A Mother He Barely Knew Frederick Augustus Washington…
