Rochester Public Market 2021 Calendar

 

The 2021 Rochester Public Market reflects life today during the Covid-19 Pandemic and what life was like before. The market has been opened throughout and masks are required by shoppers and of course, the farmers and vendors. 

By mid-March 2020, New York State guidelines stated that face masks required, both by vendors and shoppers. 

The 2021 calendar photographs are from 2020 until the October - December photographs which were taken in 2019. The months from October to December show vendors not wearing masks.

Black Lives Memorial, Rochester, New York - October 9, 2020

A peaceful memorial service  was held in Rochester to  pray, mourn, and honor the lives of "Black and Latino Deaths at the Hands of Police" by "Saying Their Names." 

Speakers read each person's name, followed by a minute of silence:

Saying their Names: Black and Latino Deaths at the Hands of Police

2012 Trayvon Martin, 17

2013 Andy Lopez

2014 Alejandro Nieto, 28

        Eric Garner, 43

        Michael Brown, 18

        Laquan McDonald, 17

        Akai Gurley, 28

       Tamir Rice, 12

2015  Walter Scott, 61

         Freddie Gray, 25

        Sandra Bland, 28

       Jeremy McDole, 28

       Bettie Jones, 55

2016  Philando Castille, 32

         Alton Sterling, 37

        Terrence Crutcher, 40

2017   Jordan Edwards, 15

          Charleena Lyles, 30

          Kameron Prescott, 6

2018   Stephen Clark, 22

          Jemel Roberson, 26

         Botham Jean, 28

2019   Elijah McClain, 23

           Atatiana Jefferson, 28

          Michael Dean, 28

2020  Breonna Taylor, 26

          Daniel Prude, 41

         George Flood, 46

         Sean Monterrosa, 22

         Andres Guardado, 18

        Jacob Blake, 29

 

Thanks, Sierra Club

Many thanks to the Sierra Club here in Rochester, New York, for "giving away" hundreds of trees for us to plant for the future. 

The trees came with planting instructions, stakes and sleeves so even novice gardeners could be assured of success. 

May our hands be dirty in hopes for a healthier and more nourished earth. 

Masks worn by all during this global Covid-19 pandemic. 

 

The Memorial for Truth and Justice

The Memorial for Truth and Justice

August is hot, especially in Alabama during hurricane season. It is not high tourist season in Montgomery. Yet we had driven more than a thousand miles from upstate New York to visit a recently opened site that documents the lynchings of over four thousand men, women and children—The National Memorial for Peace and Justice.

We took that trip in 2018. According to the website, "The National Memorial for Peace and Justice, which opened to the public on April 26, 2018, is the nation's first memorial dedicated to the legacy of enslaved Black people, people terrorized by lynching, African Americans humiliated by racial segregation and Jim Crow, and people of color burned with contemporary presumptions of guilt and police violence."   https://museumandmemorial.eji.org/memorial

As our nation grapples with the effects of the recent killings of blacks, with the racial polarization of whites and blacks, with the polarization of our country's political parties, this memorial is an important touchstone for all of us regardless of race, religion, political party or gender.  

Bryan Stevenson, the motivating force behind the memorial, wrote. “The National Memorial for Peace and Justice was conceived with the hope of creating a sober, meaningful site where people can gather and reflect on America’s history of racial inequality. …The national memorial is a sacred space for truth-telling and reflection about racial terror in America and its legacy. …Our nation’s history of racial injustice casts a shadow across the American landscape. This shadow cannot be lifted until we shine the light of truth on the destructive violence that shaped our nation, traumatized people of color, and compromised our commitment to the rule of law and equal justice.”

 Thank you, Bryan Stevenson.

Rochester, New York, is in lock-down like many other cities due to the coronavirus pandemic. Restaurants are one of the hardest hit businesses. Here are how some are responding on Park and Monroe Avenue in Rochester. 

Spring 2020

Rochester is blessed with many parks. These collage is from my recent visit to Highland Park, But other parks include Durand Eastman, Highland, Cobbs Hill, Ellwanger and Barry, Genesee Valley, Ellison, Tryon, Pinnacle, Lucien Moran, Corbetts Glen, Mendon Ponds. Here s a link to the ones in Rochseter, https://daytrippingroc.com/city-of-rochester-parks/