Better than good. Better than great. He’s from the Class of ʼ58. (See, class yells.) He’s financier, philanthropist, and University of Rochester alumnus Ed Hajim.

See our second cohort of Zero-Cost Heroes (Est. October 2021)

Abolitionist, journalist, philosopher, and writer Frederick Douglass lived some in Rochester for close to 25 year while publishing The North Star. His achievements continue to be felt by Rochester-area residents, who have celebrated his contributions to civil rights and women’s suffrage through various development and social services projects. 

Congresswoman Slaughter advocated for the preservation of Douglass’s memory and legacy. When Douglass was honored by the nation with a statue in Washington, D. C., Slaughter said:

The Louise Slaughter collection isn't just boxes and boxes of Congressional material. Sometimes archivist Weckea Lilly finds things from Slaughter's personal life. We love when this happens. It's so interesting to see images of Louise from before she was known as a “force of nature” in Washington.

African American History Month is an opportunity to tell stories of the experiences and critical moments in African American history in the United States. Often, we spend this time looking at more prominent and well-known members of society, missing those who are closer to home.

This week we're looking at the congresswoman's push for literacy and more recognition of those who teach students how to read and write. At some point between 1989 and 1996, she delivered a speech to Congress in which she advocated for teachers in her district and proposed that they be recognized during National Literacy Week. Here's what she said:

Next week, Americans begin their annual observance of the people, events, and achievements of African Americans that were a pivotal part of shaping U.S. history—Black History Month.

What is a library? It depends on who you ask. A college student’s idea of what a library is will likely be formed by how they use their institution’s library. If Rochester students are any indication, then a student’s answer will also give you a pretty good sense of what degree they are pursuing.

Last summer, COVID-19 safety protocols made most of the University’s River Campus a desolate, lonely place. There were tumbleweeds indoors. (We don’t know for sure because we weren’t there due to the closure, but given the state of the world, it seems possible.) A Rochester student, who, presumably, had grown tired of the lack of social and study spaces available in real life, threw out the question, “What does virtual reality have to offer?”