Auspicious Musings: Taurus SavantWednesday, February 12, 2025, 5:30pm – 6:45pm at Central Library
Taurus Savant is a queer Black artist, singer/songwriter, composer, published author, and community advocate that moves in steely resolve in the names of authenticity, perseverance, and audacity.
He shares his unique life experiences, perspectives and reflections on life as a queer Black man in 21st Century America through poetry, prose, and anecdotes.
Monday, February 17, 2025, 2:00pm – 3:00pm at Central Library
Wednesday, February 19, 2025, 2:00pm – 2:45pm at Central Library
Thursday, February 20, 2025, 12pm – 6pm at Central Library
Come out to the Central Library to meet and shop with local Black-Owned Businesses and Entrepreneurs. Vendors will be set up throughout the Rundel Memorial Library building and the Bausch & Lomb Public Library building.
If you are interested in being a vendor, complete this form by February 1 (Free to participate)
The Clarissa Uprooted exhibit is on view at Central Library through December 2025.
The Clarissa Uprooted exhibit focuses on Clarissa Street, the once thriving African-American residential and business corridor in Rochester, NY’s Third Ward, known in part for its celebrated Pythodd Jazz Club.
The exhibit includes inter-generational stories of the changing landscape of Rochester’s Clarissa Street through visual and interactive media.
The Clarissa Uprooted exhibit was heavily inspired by the success of the Clarissa Uprooted documentary. For the best experience, the exhibit organizers encourage everyone to watch the 25 minute documentary Clarissa Uprooted: Youth and Elders Uncover the Story of Black Rochester for additional context before visiting the exhibit at the Library. Learn more about the documentary and/or request the link to watch the full film. Watch the trailer.
Winter hours: Wednesdays, 3pm-6:30pm; Saturdays, 12pm-4pm. 115 South Ave., 2nd floor of the Rundel Memorial Building.
Learn more about the Clarissa Uprooted project.
The Museum Of UnCut Funk brought the Funky Turns 50: Black Character Revolution Firsts poster exhibit to Central Library’s Local History & Genealogy Division in 2024.
Watch the video of the event held at Central Library (February 2024) with Co-Founders and Co-Curators Loreen Williamson and Pamela Thomas.
In February 2023, the Rochester Regional Library Council (RRLC) published this online guide, which showcases black history collections held by libraries, archives, museums, and historical societies throughout the City of Rochester and Monroe County. The online resource is being continually updated.
Funding for this project came from a Vitality Grant for Preserving Historical Assets received by the Friends & Foundation of the Rochester Public Library from the Rochester Area Community Foundation.
