The Black Republican Club of Rochester

08/13/2026

The state of our children’s ability to read and write is in dire need of reform. Darius Cooks, an educator with a passion for teaching, expresses the pain he feels when he sees seniors completely incapable of the reading and writing skills they need as young adults entering society.

We support all educators who are passionate like Mr. Cooks and are ready to step up and help change the poor outcomes our children are experiencing in reading, writing, and arithmetic. These are the fundamental skills needed to ensure that individuals can think critically, understand their rights, and protect themselves from tyranny.

We support you, Mr. Cooks.

08/13/2026

📢 Another school year is upon us, and the Rochester City School District is once again evaluating school safety measures. Public safety and education must work hand in hand. Students cannot learn effectively, and teachers cannot teach effectively, if they do not feel safe in their schools.

We continue to see reports of large fights, stolen vehicles, threats, and shootings connected to our schools and surrounding communities. These incidents place tremendous pressure on security officers, teachers, administrators, and law enforcement. But security alone cannot solve the problem.

We need to bridge the gap between students, parents, and the RCSD. Parents must be more involved in their children's education, behavior, and safety, while the district must be accountable for creating safe schools, communicating with families, and addressing problems before they escalate.

This is not about choosing between security, counseling, teachers, parents, or law enforcement. We need all of them working together.

Public safety and education must align. When parents, students, educators, and the RCSD share responsibility and accountability, we have a better opportunity to create schools where students are safe, teachers can teach, and children can succeed.

08/13/2026

Come out and support grab a book, a bite and a great time!

📚✨ LET’S GET L.I.T. ANNUAL COMMUNITY GIVE BACK! ✨📚

Rochester, it’s time to come together for a Family Fun Day where Literacy is Seen in Action!

Join Let’s Get L.I.T. Liberating Individuals Through Literary Texts on:

📅 Saturday, September 26, 2026
⏰ 12:00–2:00 PM
📍 Loretta Johnson Middle School
200 Genesee Street, Rochester, NY

Families and community members can enjoy a day filled with literacy, movement, music, books, activities, and fun for the whole family! 📖🏀🎶🐴

Because we believe LITERACY IS LIBERATION, and learning should extend beyond the classroom and into our communities.

💛 Bring the family. Bring a friend. Come experience literacy in action!

For more information:
Clianda Florence
📞 (585) 694-5254

08/11/2026

John Willis Menard’s story is part of a larger history that cannot be separated from Reconstruction and the rise of Black political power in the South.

After the Civil War, Black Americans gained the constitutional right to vote and began winning elections across the South. Black Republicans were elected to local offices, state legislatures, Congress, and even the U.S. Senate. Menard was one of those pioneers. He won a special election in Louisiana in 1868 and would have been the first African American to serve in Congress, but his Democratic opponent, Caleb Hunt, contested the election and the House ultimately refused to seat either candidate.

Menard still made history on February 27, 1869, becoming the first African American to address the U.S. House while it was in session.

And Menard was not alone. During the 1870s, 16 Black Republicans served in Congress. Across the South, Black voters and Republican leaders were building political power on a scale the nation had never seen.

That political transformation was fiercely opposed. As Black Republicans gained influence, white Southern Democrats organized to regain control of state and local governments. The historical record documents contested elections, intimidation, violence, fraudulent vote counts, destroyed ballots, and other efforts used to undermine Black political participation.

This is an important part of Black history and Republican history. Reconstruction was a period when newly freed Black Americans moved from slavery to citizenship, from having no political power to exercising the ballot, and from being excluded from government to helping govern the South.

John Willis Menard represents that historic generation of Black Republican leaders who understood that freedom meant more than emancipation. It meant citizenship, voting rights, representation, education, economic opportunity, and the ability to participate in the government of your own country.

08/10/2026

John James- Republican candidate for governor of Michigan is talking too much sense that he may win 👀

This is the Civil Rights issue of our time.

EVERY student deserves a quality education: public, private, charter, or homeschool.

88% of Detroit’s third graders test below reading proficiency.

Our kids deserve better, and that’s not a partisan issue.

08/10/2026

Yes

Video credit:
Republicans
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/18zVLjj43D/

08/10/2026

🚩 Joe Morelle has made his position clear:
he opposed the SAVE Act, legislation that would require people registering to vote in federal elections to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship.

So we have a simple question: Why should verifying voter eligibility be treated as an attack on voting rights?

We require identification and documentation for countless things in everyday life. Voting should be no different. The ballot is one of the most important instruments of our Republic, and every eligible citizen deserves to know that their vote carries the same weight as every other legitimate vote.

This isn't about preventing eligible Americans from voting. It's about maintaining accurate voter rolls, removing ineligible registrations, and establishing a reliable system that verifies who is legally entitled to participate in our elections.

Only living, registered U.S. citizens who meet the legal requirements should be permitted to vote in federal elections.

If we cannot agree that citizenship and voter eligibility should be verified, then what exactly are we protecting?

**Voter integrity isn't voter suppression. It is election security. It is accountability. And it is part of protecting the sovereignty of the American people.**

08/09/2026

With the increasing number of automated license plate readers in the region, concerns are being raised about the trade-off between public safety and privacy.

Full story: https://www.rochesterfirst.com/finger-lakes/finger-lakes-region-sees-rise-in-automated-license-plate-readers/

08/08/2026

We've only been asking this question for several years now as a club and now party. We're failing our children in our schools and parents should have options!

Today’s cover: NY 3rd-5th graders fail basic reading tests with more than half not even proficient: data