Reading & Discussion Series: Strike The Hammer: The Black Freedom Struggle in Rochester, New York, 1940–1970 In-Person
Join us for an in-depth dive into the history of Rochester's Black freedom with a close reading of and weekly discussions about Laura Warren Hill's new book, Strike the Hammer: The Black Freedom Struggle in Rochester, New York, 1940–1970.
On July 24, 1964, chaos erupted in Rochester when the city’s Black community rebelled over rampant police brutality and racial inequity. The uprising led to a rebirth in Rochester’s fight for racial justice, rooted in the Black power movement, and radically changed the trajectory of the civil rights movement. That resurgence owed much to years of organizing and resistance in the community. Stike the Hammer examines Rochester's long Civil Rights history, drawing extensively on oral accounts of local movement participants, as well as records from the NAACP, SCLC, and the local FIGHT organization, to offer rich and detailed stories of the area’s protest tradition.
Participants in the reading and discussion series will be invited to read two to threes chapters in preparation for each week's discussion. The series will culminate with a live presentation by the author at 1 pm on October 16, 2021. Strike the Hammer is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Cornell University Press, and other local and online booksellers.
Melissa M. Parrish is a training consultant and community educator with a diverse background in human service program management, community education and community organizing and advocacy in urban settings. She has a B.A. in political science and Africana studies from Queens College/CUNY, an M.S. in adult education, and extensive coursework in non-profit management.
- Date:
- Saturday, October 9, 2021
- Time:
- 12:30pm - 2:00pm
- Time Zone:
- Eastern Time - US & Canada (change)
- Location:
- Central - Kusler-Cox Auditorium, Central - Rundel Second Floor Conference Room
- Library:
- Central Library
- Audience:
- Adults Seniors Teens
- Categories:
- Black History Department - Local History & Genealogy Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Local History