Nationwide, Black History Month will be celebrated in February 2024. This presents a rich opportunity for the Rochester community to honor its local and regional Black history and to celebrate the vibrant and dynamic community that makes up Rochester today.
The City of Rochester in partnership with Olmsted County and Destination Medical Center Economic Development Agency (DMC EDA) will kick off the exhibition tour of a new traveling exhibit entitled Still We Rise: Rochester’s Black Legacy on Monday, February 5th, 2024 at 10am. The launch will feature an exhibition opening at the City Hall Rotunda and a brief program including remarks from Mayor Kim Norton and DEI Director Chao Mwatela. Due to space limitations, the launch event is limited to invited members of the community, City and County governance, and the press. The exhibit will be on public view in the City Hall Rotunda after the event from February 5-9 from 8am-5pm.
The Still We Rise: Rochester’s Black Legacy exhibit is a traveling showcase of the key leaders and events that have shaped the local community and its history. First developed through the leadership of Andre Crockett in partnership with the History Center of Olmsted County, the first “Rochester Black History” exhibit is currently installed at the History Center.
The new traveling pop-up exhibition directed by Andre Crockett (Founder and Owner of BarberShop & Social Services and Sports Mentorship Academy), and curated and designed by writer, Nicole Asong Nfonoyim-Hara (Founder of Griot Arts) will be hosted in various community venues and locations to activate dialogue and invite further learning about the city’s own connections to its Black history and a legacy of Black leadership and excellence. This exhibit is the first of its kind in its span of Rochester Black history and its contextualization of this history within the wider state and regional history from the mid-1800s to today.
Media Contacts:
Andre Crockett Sr. | [email protected]
Nicole Asong Nfonoyim-Hara | [email protected]
