Saturday, February 1, 2025, 10:30am – 12:00pm at Central Library
A Monthly Genealogy Club co-sponsored by the Rochester Genealogical Society
Facilitated by Anna Tomasso John D. Caufield
Do you wonder who your ancestors were and how you can learn more about them? Join us for this informative presentation on African American genealogy, where you can learn about important research resources, pick up helpful tips, and explore your questions alongside fellow ancestry seekers.
Registration for this FREE event is encouraged, but not required.
Black Film FestivalMonday, February 3 – Friday, February 28, 2025, Kate Gleason Auditorium at Central Library
During Black History Month, the Reynolds Media Center will
showcase groundbreaking gems of Black cinema from across the
decades, some rarely seen. The Festival owes its genesis to Maya Cade’s magnificent database Black Film Archive (blackfilmarchive.com).
Saturday, February 15, 2025, 12:00pm – 4:00pm, Rundel Second Floor Conference Room at Central Library
The Nate Rawls Quartet will perform on a replica of the iconic Pythodd stage. Learn about a vital part of Rochester’s past by exploring the history of the city’s once thriving African American residential and business corridor on Clarissa Street.
Clarissa Uprooted: Unearthing Stories of Our Village — an exhibit co-curated by Teen Empowerment and Clarissa Street Legacy — offers an in-depth, interactive look at the historic main street of Rochester’s Third Ward neighborhood (now Corn Hill). see below, under “Current Exhibits” for additional information
This event is sponsored by the Local History & Genealogy Division of the Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County in partnership with Clarissa Street Legacy and Teen Empowerment.
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.
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.
