Church leader speaks about redlining report at Central Church of Christ event
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ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Central Church of Christ hosted the first part of its Black American Lecture Series on Saturday.
Panelists covered racial equality in areas including education, employment and medical care. News10NBC has been reporting on redlining in Rochester following a state report which found it still affects a significant number of people of color our community.
We asked today’s panelists about the issue.
“The first attempt to purchase a home for my family was in 1968,” said racial justice advocate Dr. Walter Cooper. “And I was told by the bank where I did business, Lincoln Rochester, ‘why do you want to move away from your people?’ I said, ‘I don’t own any people. I just own a family.'”
“The systems that work for everybody work for white people but work against black people in achieving the same goal,” said Rev. Clifford Florence of Central Church of Christ. “And it’s not a credit issue. It’s not having relationship with the bank. It’s the system of the institutional and structural racism that is in every major institution in the United States.”
The Central Church of Christ hosted the first part of its Black American Lecture Series on Saturday.
Saturday’s event also included an arts and culture display honoring Harriet Tubman and Minister Franklin Florence, a local minister heavily involved in civil rights work.
Read more:
- Mortgage companies try to right wrongs of Monroe County’s redlining history (Dec. 9)
- NYS report finds lending practices in Rochester still discriminate against people of color (Dec. 8)