First hour: Remembering LGBTQ activist Evelyn Bailey
Second hour: How local farmers are working to keep their land farmland forever
Longtime local LGBTQ activist Evelyn Bailey has died. Bailey was a historian, teacher, small business owner, and ardent advocate for LGBTQ rights during her lifetime. She died Wednesday of pancreatic cancer. This hour, Bailey's friends and former colleagues join us to discuss her life, her legacy, and the tireless work she did to document the history of the LGBTQ community in Rochester. Our guests:
- Carol Ebersole-Weiss, member of the National Board of Governors and coordinator for the Western and Central New York chapter of the Human Rights Campaign
- Bruce Gorman, Ed.D., former board member for the Out Alliance
- Kevin Indovino, filmmaker for the "Shoulders to Stand On" documentary, and producer and director at WXXI
- Claire Parker, former president of the Gay Alliance
- Christine Ridarsky, City of Rochester historian, and manager of the Local History and Genealogy Division of the Rochester Central Library
Then in our second hour, some local farmers are working with regional land trusts in order to ensure their farmland will be farmland forever. As longtime farmers age and retire, questions arise as to what happens with their land. Owning land is becoming more cost prohibitive for young farmers, and sometimes, the land is purchased by developers who use it to build homes, rather than farms. Stonecrop Farm in Rush recently collaborated with the Genesee Land Trust on a process that will ensure its land remains farmland forever. This hour, we discuss that process and we hear about the current land issues facing farmers in New York. Our guests:
- Ruth Blackwell, owner of Mud Creek Farm
- Greg Hartt, co-owner of Stonecrop Farm
- Lorna Wright, deputy executive director at Genesee Land Trust