Webinars
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Recorded Webinars
The Intersection: Environmental Justice: Lessons Learned from the Front Lines
Webinar 4 on June 10, 2021
WE ACT, which has offices in New York City and Washington, D.C., lifts the voices of underserved communities of color as they work together to achieve climate justice, clean air, healthy homes, and sustainability for their neighborhoods. We heard from Peggy Shepard, co-founder and executive director of WE ACT, who shared how the organization engages communities and develops leaders to advocate for a clean, healthy, and sustainable climate.
ACT Rochester Report Card Event on May 11, 2021: Inclusive Recovery
As federal dollars are deployed in the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, an inclusive recovery will make sure that no one is left behind and that those who have historically been excluded from economic opportunity are prioritized. A 2018 report by the Urban Institute noted a strong correlation between cities that embrace economically and racially inclusive practices and strong economic recovery and health. Of 274 cities studied, Rochester ranked 241st.
At its Annual Report Card event, ACT Rochester hosted Christina Stacy, principal research associate at the Urban Institute, and Alan Berube, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, for a conversation about leveraging the federal resources coming to our community. Their presentations were followed by a panel discussion with local leaders Bob Franklin, CFO for Monroe County; Carleen Pierce, CFO for Rochester City School District; and Christopher Wagner, CFO for City of Rochester.
Community Briefing with U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand on May 10, 2021
Senator Gillibrand talked about the American Rescue Plan and creating an inclusive recovery before participating in a Q&A session.
The Intersection: Centering Racial Equity to Sustain Justice
Webinar 3 on May 19, 2021
Across the country, discriminatory practices of public safety entities have led to calls to rethink community safety. We hosted a conversation with experts Candice C. Jones, president and CEO of the Public Welfare Foundation in Washington D.C., and Melanca Clark, president and CEO of the Hudson-Webber Foundation in Detroit.
The Intersection: Where Equity and Vitality Meet
Webinar 2 on April 28, 2021
The Black Lives Matter movement reverberated around the nation and world in 2020 after the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and Daniel Prude.
As part of its commitment to stand in solidarity with racial justice efforts, the Community Foundation supported the work of a team of local photographers and videographers to document the many protests, demonstrations, and rallies that took place in the Greater Rochester region. Their work — conducted in the midst of the COVID pandemic — demonstrates the connection between art and racial justice advocacy. Our guests Rashaad Parker, Cocoa Rae David, and Bertram Torres discuss their personal journeys in documenting these historic moments.
The Intersection: Where Equity and Vitality Meet
Webinar 1 on April 14, 2021
Wrongfully convicted of murder in 1991, Valentino Dixon was sentenced to 38½ years to life in prison. While this Buffalo native struggled to adjust to prison life, he began drawing again. A request from a warden to draw a scene from the Augusta National Golf Club, home of The Masters tournament, launched his journey as a golf artist. Dixon’s drawings — and his arrest and conviction — drew national attention. For a class project, a trio of Georgetown University undergraduate students investigated and produced a powerful documentary about his case that helped exonerate him. Dixon had served more than 27 years before being released in September 2018.
Event Planning for Performing Arts Organizations and Venues
with Steven Adelman and Erez Ziv on April 20, 2021
The Community Foundation and Rochester Fringe Festival co-hosted a conversation about the performing arts and venue capacity. Local perspectives were provided by Erica Fee, founding producer of Rochester Fringe Festival; Hillary Olson, president and CEO of Rochester Museum & Science Center; and Orlando Ortiz, board president of the Puerto Rican Festival.
Noah Rayman, special advisor to Empire State Development Corp., and Luke Charde, NYS Office of Information Technology Services, offered information about the state’s new Excelsior Pass. Erez Ziv, managing artistic director of FRIGID New York, talked of presenting the first live performance in New York City in 2021 and Steven Adelman, a sports and entertainment lawyer, shared steps on how to safely present events.
Additional information about preparing audiences for live theatre can be found here and national event safety guidance is available here.
Racial Equity and Justice: From Protest to Policy
with Desmond Meade on December 14, 2020
Desmond Meade joined us to discuss the ways that grassroots action, like the campaign he led in Florida to restore voting rights to more than 1.4 million Floridians with past felony charges, can make positive and lasting change. Meade is the president of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition and author of Let My People Vote.