Rochester leaders and civil rights attorney Ben Crump came together Saturday at a town hall at Mt. Olivet Baptist Church to discuss solutions to the city’s education crisis.
Crump, known for his work on cases like those of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, spoke about how systemic inequities in education perpetuate cycles of poverty and crime in marginalized communities.
Local education advocate Clianda Florence said the severity of literacy and math challenges in the area are directly tied to systemic issues that continue to impact Rochester's most vulnerable communities.
“57% of residents in the city of Rochester 16 and older are reading at a basic proficiency level equivalent to sixth grade," she said. "Nationally, we have 130 million adults who can’t even read a basic book to their children."

Community organizer James Gatewood said the responsibility extends beyond schools to the entire community.
“It's not just the schools; it's our community in a large that needs help," he said. "Because when I was younger, there were so many different outreach programs — you had Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts — and a lot of these kids now don't have that opportunity."
Despite spending over $30,000 per student annually — one of the highest rates in the nation — Rochester’s schools continue to struggle with academic performance.
The weekend event was led by Charter Champions, a Rochester nonprofit that advocates for the ongoing needs of local charter schools.