20th and 21st Century Activism
For two centuries, Rochester women have answered the call to action. Addressing issues around social, political, racial, gender, and health and economic injustice, they have not stayed silent. Women in our community have been the leading voices in the struggle for social justice - activists fighting and campaigning for civil and human rights.
March for Reproductive Choice event flyer, 1980s.
National Organization for Women Rochester Chapter buttons, 1995.
Fighting Crimes Against Women event flyer, sponsored by Women Against Violence Against Women, 1980.
Rochester, like many cities across the United States, has grappled with discrimination against African and Latin Americans. In the 1960s, women like Mildred Johnson, Loma Allen (1913-2010), and Constance Mitchell (1928-2018) were at the helm of this activism, involved in initiatives like Freedom, Integration, God, Honor, Today (FIGHT), Action For a Better Community, and Baden Street Settlement. They demanded the end to redlining, an under-resourced education system, police brutality, and unjust employment practices. The current president of the 19th Ward Community Association, Zola Brown (1965 - ), has been actively working towards social and economic justice in her neighborhood. Founded in 1965, the association organized in response to segregation policies in this predominantly black neighborhood. Isabella Passero and Nancy Padilla (1950 - ), leaders in the Ibero American Action League, were involved in supporting and advocating on behalf of the Latin American community in Rochester.
Constance Mitchell photograph, 1945.
Rochester Race Riot Interview transcript of John and Constance Mitchell, Rochester Freedom Struggle Oral History, 2008.
Constance Mitchell photograph, 2008.
Constance Mitchell became a major figure in Rochester Civil Rights activism in the 1960s, and her home became a gathering place for people such as Malcolm X, Robert Kennedy, leaders of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), and the Congress of Racial Equality.
FIGHT protest at Kodak shareholder meeting, 1967.
Rochester Race Riot Interview transcript of Charles "Buddy" Granston, Rochester Freedom Oral History, 2009.
Mildred Johnson at FIGHT protest at Kodak shareholder meeting, 1967.
Rochester has also been active in advocating for rights and legal protection in the LGBTQ community. In the early 1970s, the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) formed at the University of Rochester. Modeled after the Black Power and Women's Liberation movements, the group advocated for legislative reform, sponsored social events, speaker series, and created safe spaces on campus. Yet, at times, the voices from the lesbian community on and off campus were overshadowed. Women involved with the organization responded by putting out their issue of the Empty Closet, one of the oldest LGBTQ focused publications in the United States. Evelyn Bailey (1947 - ), a political activist and historian, produced the Shoulders To Stand On documentary, which represents many women who have been pivotal in the struggle for marriage equality, acceptance in the church, HIV/AIDS activism, and much more.
The Empty Closet, Summer 1972 issue
Pamphlet for the Rochester Bi-sexual Women's Network, 1988
Lesbian Resource Center pamphlet, 1975
We recognize the invisibility of the selfless labor behind social justice and human rights work, and acknowledge and appreciate all the women activists in Rochester who have pushed boundaries - forcing our society to do better by all of its citizens.