All month long we’ve been celebrating the beauty, grace, talent and success of black women in Rochester here on 540Blog as well as our social media platforms. I must say it has been one of the most wonderful blogging campaigns that I have ever created. Learning about the work, blood, sweat and tears that community leaders Melanie Funchess, Shalom Pearl Singer, & Melissa Barrett have put into their respective businesses has not only been inspiring but eye-opening.
We are bombarded every single day with so many negative and toxic stories and images of black men and women from local and national news media that it can be easy to overlook the wealth of positive action that is taking place right in our own backyards. Creating this special campaign that highlighted the good work that is happening in our community was my way of countering the negativity. However, the campaign isn’t over yet. We still have a few highlights yet to share.
Black Women Roc! Open Mic & Showcase
This past Sunday we hosted an open mic and performing arts showcase in conjunction with the campaign in our Community Room. Four beautiful, talented, and melanin rich performers shared their talent and grace with a packed house and it was beautiful. What I enjoyed most of the showcase is the diversity that was on display. We had performance live painting from Lavonne Barfield, interpretive dance by Donna Beatty, singing from Jamie Mculler, and two powerful spoken word pieces from Andre Doeman. Everyone in attendance was inspired, enriched, and filled with the glory of God’s divine energy.
Summer Vacation & Renovations
540WMain is officially closed for summer vacation after tomorrow. We are undergoing some amazing renovation projects that will improve & beautify our historic space. We cannot wait to unveil these changes when we reopen to the public on Wednesday July 12th. You can read about our summer hours here.
Be sure to download your free copy of our Summer 2017 Community Education Course Catalog and register for our summer classes. Expect less action on our social media platforms over the next two weeks as we recharge and reenergize ourselves for the summer. As always thank you for your continued support.
Calvin
Founder & Executive Director
With Love,
Calvin
Founder & Executive Director
Photo Credit: (cover) Autumn Goodman
540WMain, Inc. 