Son of Rev. Franklin Florence will become new leader of F.I.G.H.T. Village

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The F.I.G.H.T. Village Housing Development Fund, founded by Rochester civil rights icon Rev. Franklin Florence to promote equity in housing, has a new leader.

Franklin Florence Jr., the son of Rev. Florence, will lead nonprofit. He was appointed at a meeting on Wednesday that also commemorated his father through unveiling photographs and a plaque.

Rev. Florence died a year ago at age 89. He is remembered for founding the organization F.I.G.H.T. (Freedom, Independence, God, Honor, Today) after the 1964 Rochester race riot. He took on corporate giants like Bausch and Lomb, Xerox, and Kodak, forcing them to confront discrimination in their ranks.

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F.I.G.H.T. Village aims to provide safe and affordable housing and a pathway to homeownership. The organization says its actively developing new programs and partnerships to address the needs of Rochester’s residents.