On February 21, 1934, Rochester’s first birth control clinic opened to the public. Founded and operated by local philanthropists and activists, the clinic saw 7,000 patients by the end of 1939, providing important medical services to those most in need of support. While information on patients is limited to demographic data, the memories of many of the clinic’s founders and early volunteers are preserved in archival records.

Coinciding with the publication of Elizabeth Carr’s feature article in the Fall 2024 issue of Rochester History, this talk will highlight the reminiscences of Monroe County Birth Control League staff and volunteers as well as other archival materials from the clinic. Carr will discuss what it meant for these activists to be involved in the formation and operation of a birth control clinic during a time when such activity was deeply controversial. The talk will also consider the importance of personal testimony as a way to understand the past, and how these reflections are crucial for giving historical actors agency in the present.

Registration to this free program is recommended but not required.

This is an in-person program that will also be livestreamed at https://www.youtube.com/@RochesterPublicLibraryNY/streams.

Presented by the Local History & Genealogy Division in partnership with Rochester Institute of Technology Department of History and RIT Press.