An event held over the weekend in Rochester was designed to provide Black authors the opportunity to celebrate their work and embrace how it impacts literacy, diversity and growth in the community.
The President of the Rochester Black Authors Association, Jeanell Coleman-Grimes, said the 7th annual Rochester Black Authors Expo held on Saturday, contributes to the empowerment and amplification of Black authors.
“It gives them a platform,” said Coleman-Grimes. “Prior to us beginning the Expo in 2015, as independent self-published authors, we all realized that there was no platform, there was no opportunity for us to showcase our work. As a result, most of us thought we were the only Black author in Rochester, because we didn't know there was no way for us to connect with one another.”
Brittan Hardgers is also among the authors represented at the Expo. He is a case manager for Trillium Health, a patient care officer/ombudsperson at URMC, and founder/President of NGMT (Next Gen Men of Transition).
He said the visibility these authors are getting is crucial for helping their voices be heard.
“It's important to me, especially for me, because I don't feel that queer Black folks are seen visibly. I don't feel that we are always incorporated,” said Hardgers who added that he wants to help set the tone for future generations of Black queer authors in Rochester.
One new author is Head Football Coach at Aquinas Institute, Maurice “Mo” Jackson. Jackson said that it’s important that young athletes understand how helpful being literate can help them with their careers and their lives.
"Literacy plays a really big role and in sports with things as simple as reading playbooks and stuff like that. So it's a really big, big deal for young athletes to be excited about literacy,” said Jackson.
One of the themes of this year’s event was to help spark conversations about the power of diverse storytelling, to help it challenge harmful preconceptions.
Attendees at Saturday’s event held at The Lab: Creative Resource Center on State St. were also able to connect with a number of other authors and publishers. There were also other resources available for aspiring authors.
