“Until the Lion tells their side of the story, the tale of the hunt will always glorify the Hunter.” – Zimbabwean proverb
When history books exclude or distort, oral histories can fill in and correct; bringing life, dignity and voice to the public record.
Clarissa Uprooted began with the tradition of elders passing community stories down to young people who asked questions. Tributes to joy, celebration and Jazz overflow from memories of this special place. Then comes the pain–of betrayed hope, of what was taken and bulldozed.
Oral histories hold all of this at once–the racist policies and resistance, the joy and resilience, and the essential pathway needed as we seek to reflect and repair the harm.
What stories are you curious about?
Which people in your life might be able to fill in the history of your family’s start in Rochester or where your family came from?
Image: Joan Coles Howard names her family members in a 1937 photo of the Kelso family at 500 Clarissa Street.
This reel focuses on joyous memories of everyday life in Rochester, NY’s Clarissa Street in the historic Third Ward, as they are interviewed by Teen Empowerment Youth History Ambassadors. The reel shares additional and extended clips that appear in the Clarissa Uprooted documentary.
This reel focuses on memories of how racist policies like redlining and urban renewal, and resistance including uprising, were used to justify uprooting the thriving Clarissa Street community in Rochester, NY’s historic Third Ward. The Clarissa Street elders are interviewed by Teen Empowerment Youth History Ambassadors. The reel shares additional and extended clips that appear in the Clarissa Uprooted documentary.
Meet the previous residents of the Third Ward that our Youth History Ambassadors have interviewed in order to paint an accurate picture of Clarissa Street.
Dr. Anderson served six years in the Air Force during the Korean War. He came to live in Mrs. Morris’ rooming house in the Third Ward from 1956 – 1960 after Rochester Institute of Technology would not assist him with finding student housing. Anderson is co-founder of the Blackstorytelling League and Akwaaba Heritage Associates, sharing African American lore in 25 U.S. states and Ghana.
Boddie was raised on Adams Street. His father was Pastor of Mount Olivet Baptist Church from 1942 – 1956. Boddie was Rochester’s first African American Eagle Scout and the fourth Hall of Famer of the Greater Rochester Track Club. He was the first African American banker at the Lincoln Rochester Trust Company (Chase).
Coles-Howard is the daughter of Howard W. Coles and Alma Kelso, two pioneers in broadcasting and housing activism, among many other contributions to Rochester. Her grandparents’ townhouse at 500 Clarissa Street faced the corner of Bronson Avenue (now Dr. Samuel McCree Way) where she loved to watch people dance in the street in front of LaRue’s Tavern. She was the Founder and Owner of Uhuru Gift Shop (Jefferson Avenue & Midtown Plaza) and Editor of the Frederick Douglass Voice newspaper.
Cooper arrived in 1952 to pursue his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry at the University of Rochester after serving as a Teaching Fellow at Howard University. He moved onto Tremont Street in the Third Ward. Cooper became a lead research chemist at Kodak and helped found several local civil rights and anti-poverty organizations. Rochester City School #10 is named in his honor.
Sprague-Dexter was raised in the Third Ward with her parents and seven siblings. The Spragues are one of the oldest families in Rochester, arriving in the 1820s. She worked in Employee Benefits at Kodak for over 33 years and facilitated the hiring of more Black employees into the company. Today, she is a realtor who advocates for racial equity in her field.
Fontenette’s family members owned several businesses in the Third Ward. The businesses included a grocery store (corner of Ford and Troup Street), Vallot’s Tavern, Stamp’s Cleaners and the Gibson Hotel. Fontenette served in the Vietnam War from 1966 – 1968. He is a longtime member of the Clarissa Street Reunion Committee and sits on the Parish Council of Immaculate Conception Church.
Gilbert’s family moved to Adams Street just off Clarissa Street during World War II in 1941. He was on the wrestling team at Madison High School. Gilbert remembers early talk of urban renewal beginning in the 1950s. For 24 years, he served as the executive director of the Montgomery Neighborhood Center, where he also spent most of his time during his teenage years.
Griffin’s parents moved to Rochester during the Great Migration. Since 1952, five generations of the Griffin family have lived in the neighborhood. He worked for Xerox before dedicating himself as an educator in the Rochester City School District until retirement. Griffin was a member of Mt. Vernon Baptist Church and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
Harris was raised in the Clarissa Street home owned by her mother and three aunts, where they also ran a beauty parlor. The basement had a tunnel passageway that she learned was part of the Underground Railroad. She was a majorette in Clarissa Street’s own Scotty’s Drum & Bugle Corps and grew up across the street from Dan’s Tavern and the Pythodd Room. She worked at the Boy’s Club and was an arts educator for the Rochester City School District.
johnson was born at Rochester General Hospital when it was in the Third Ward. He graduated from Madison High School. After serving in the military and various jobs at a meat packing plant, the U.S. Postal Service, and DuPont, johnson began college courses at age 40 and embarked on a career as a poet and writer. He was a community activist who delivered the Frederick Douglass Voice newspaper, worked with Howard Coles, and challenged racial inequity.
Newport was born and raised in Rochester. He was part of the Clarissa Street softball team in the Kodak League. He served in the U.S. Army (1958 – 1960) and the Head of the Monroe County Nonpartisan Political League. Newport was Mayor of Berkeley, California (1979 – 1986) and worked for the NAACP. He befriended and hosted Malcolm X in Rochester several times in the 1960s.
Price was raised on Caledonia Avenue (later renamed Clarissa Street) in the Third Ward. In the 1920s, his grandfather (Jesse Stevens) opened a store on Caledonia Avenue. Price was the first African American police officer in Rochester and became a Captain of the Rochester Police Department. He served in the Army Air Corps in World War II (Intelligence Officer for the Tuskegee Airmen).
Sheppard’s parents moved from Sanford, Florida to the northeast side of Rochester, “crosstown” from the Third Ward. He graduated from Madison High School and attended Rochester Institute of Technology while it was still based in the Third Ward. RIT left downtown for its Henrietta campus during his senior year. In 2022, Sheppard celebrated his 50th year of teaching art at RIT. He is the owner of Joy Gallery and Studio on West Main Street.
Sheppard’s family first arrived to work on a farm in the Rochester area. He became the owner of Shep’s Paradise on Clarissa Street after purchasing Dan’s Tavern in 1967. Shep’s Paradise carried on “Dan’s” reputation for being a peaceful and welcoming community space in the Third Ward. Shep’s closed in 2002, followed by the Elks Club–the last two original Black-owned businesses that had remained on Clarissa Street.
Winston was the Entertainment Co-Chair for the inaugural Clarissa Street Reunion Committee and inaugural founder for About Time Magazine. She was a columnist for the Buffalo Challenger, Frederick Douglass Voice and the Minority Reporter. Winston served as the manager at Shep’s Paradise. She appears in Tina Chapman DaCosta’s film, Remembering the Pythodd.
