After his sister’s untimely death in 2003, Bing Reaves, Jr. helped protect the young sons she left behind.
“When I got the news I just felt hopeless. I wanted to be there for her, but I couldn’t,” Reaves said.
He never wanted to feel that way again. Three years later, he joined the Rochester Police Department, and now, he protects the people who live in the city. Reaves, a second-generation city officer, moved up the ranks to become a sergeant in February 2016. In honor of his late sister, he also teaches new recruits at the police academy how to respond to domestic violence situations.
From the beginning of his career, Reaves anticipated the challenges that would arise being an officer of color who patrols the Clinton Avenue area in the northeast section of Rochester.
Forty-two percent of residents in the area are African American. It is one of the most embattled neighborhoods; poverty and heroin are prevalent.
Taking on a supervisory role in the midst of a heated racial climate between police and residents has come with greater moral responsibility than perhaps Reaves expected. As a result, the sergeant said he’s often challenged by other black people who reject rather than welcome his role in law enforcement.
“People don’t see me for me, for who I am, all they see is the badge I wear and the uniform I wear. So, in some people’s eyes I’m a sellout,” Reaves said.
That sentiment prompted the 36-year-old to join the long line of local black professionals to participate in the United Way’s African American Leadership Development program. The annual, two-week program aims to engage with people of color and prepare them for positions of influence within Rochester.
Through the assigned coursework, including textbook readings, essays and volunteer hours, and a host of in-depth discussions, the program has proven effective for its students. Reaves hoped the program would help him find new ways to connect with community members.
“It made me want to be part of a nonprofit, a board, a committee, and do something more than just focus on an individual problem but be part of the big solution,” Reaves said.
Rodney Young, the program's coordinator, has been overseeing the program for the last 16 years. He said there is a deficiency in the number of black people on the more than 2, 700 Rochester-area executive boards.
“We have a genius like everybody else, and our genius needs to be recognized and employed, because we want the best possible outcomes,” said Young.
Danette Campbell-Bell, a youth development consultant for her own private firm, is the 2016 AALDP class representative. In a keynote speech at the graduation ceremony Thursday, Campbell-Bell said she was hesitant and skeptical of the program before taking part.
“I didn’t know how I was going to feel about being in the room with everyone who looked exactly like me,” she said, “I’m usually the only person who is of color at some of the tables.”
Building trust and holding herself accountable, Campbell-Bell said, forced her to overcome those insecurities. She said there’s also an organic bond which forms between the like-minded classmates.
“I look at these other 38 people as my family,” she said.
The theme of trust also runs through Reaves’ agenda. The sergeant, born to a Korean mother and African-American father, is longing to feel a sense of belonging within the community he serves.
Some of his earliest memories involve teachings from his father, a member of the army veteran group Buffalo Soldiers, about black historians and other pertinent characteristics of the culture.
Now, armed with tools from the United Way program to get involved with community initiatives and be a more confident leader, Reaves said he hopes to set the tone among his peers to effect positive change in the city.
“Whether it’s African Americans, whites, Hispanics, I’m out there trying to help people, the community. I think that’s putting in your piece of the puzzle.”
The AALDP will be accepting applications for its 25th program year in the spring.
