Black History Month: Monroe County Hall of Justice will hold panel Wednesday

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — February is Black History Month, honoring the legacy of Black trailblazers. To celebrate, the 7th Judicial District will host a panel on Wednesday at the Monroe County Hall of Justice on Exchange Boulevard.

The panel will discuss the future of equity and inclusion in the workplace and the contributions of local Black professionals in the workforce. There will also be a self-guided tour of the Black History Month portrait gallery located on the fifth floor of the courthouse. The panel begins at 12:15 p.m.

Here are some upcoming events for Black History Month. All of the events are free to attend, except for the Black Heritage Gala, which requires tickets:

• Akoma and Voices of Thunder (Saturday, Feb. 22): Akoma and Voices of Thunder will perform at the Mt. Vernon Baptist Church on Joseph Avenue. It begins at 6 p.m.

• Black Heritage Youth Gala (Thursday, March 13): There will be a celebration of youth contributions to Black heritage at the City Hall Atrium. It begins at 5:30 p.m.

• City of Rochester Black Heritage Gala (Saturday, April 12): The Black Heritage Gala is taking place at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center. It will feature awards presentations, cultural performances, and speeches with the aim of building community connections. The gala gets underway at 5:30 p.m. and you can get tickets here.

The Black Heritage Committee kicked off their series on Wednesday, Feb. 5 with a gospel concert at Rochester City Hall featuring the School of the Arts Choir.

After that, there was an evening of art and jazz on Thursday, Feb. 6. Local artists displayed their work at city hall. Taryn Juanita said the event helped to showcase Rochester’s culture.

“I do always come and I always find fellow artists that I know and I’m familiar with and I’m like, oh, they did this and they did that. It’s beautiful to see everybody inspire each other and work together,” Juanita said.

The Memorial Art Gallery also hosted a free celebration of Black History Month on Sunday, Feb. 9. Over a hundred people came out for performances from step teams along with African dance and drums. The event also included artwork and crafts.

“I love that it’s a very diverse group and you have young and old and I am just really grateful we are all here to celebrate,” Annie Dukes, a guest program coordinator, said.

Music filled city hall once again with a concert on Wednesday, Feb. 12. String for Success, a string instrument group with students from the RCSD Dr. Charles T. Lunsford School, performed.

The Eastman School of Music held a free concert to showcase the work of Black composers on Wednesday, Feb. 19.

Up-and-coming student musicians studying at Eastman performed at Kilbourn Hall. Eastman’s Black Student Union has put on a Black History Month performance every year since 2018.