Join us at the library for a presentation by Evelyn Bailey, producer of the film Shoulders to Stand On, followed by a viewing of the film.  

Film decsription:

Shoulders to Stand On – YOU! 

Renown as the city of Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass, Rochester, NY has a long-standing history of being at the forefront of social justice; a strong voice during the abolition movement, civil rights and women's liberation. With the spark of the 1969 Stonewall Riots in New York City, Rochester quickly rose to the challenge once again with the birth of the gay rights movement. Beginning with a small group of students and the formation of the Gay Liberation Front at the University of Rochester, Shoulders to Stand On reveals a largely unknown and undocumented history of Rochester's LGBT community and its influences across the nation. Audiences are engaged through very personal stories, a journey that celebrates New York's oldest gay newspaper, the first openly gay candidate elected to public office in NY, a fight for federal funding, the first city in NY to pass a domestic partnership policy and more recently the passage of same sex marriage in New York.

Experience the stories of courage, sacrifice and accomplishments of those whose shoulders we stand on.

About the presenter:

Evelyn Bailey – Ms. Bailey is an educator, political activist and historian. Recipient of the Community Service Award 2014 from the Empire State Pride Agenda, the Community Leadership Award in Education 2014 from the Greater Rochester Branch of the American Association of University Women, and selected to be Grand Marshall of the 2014 Rochester Gay Pride Parade, Ms. Bailey is the Executive Producer of the Shoulders To Stand On Documentary on the History of the Rochester LGBT Community. Currently she Chairs the Shoulders To Stand On Program of the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley, and the Library Initiative funded by the Rochester Area Community Foundation LGBT Giving Circle Grant which held 13 free screenings in libraries of the Monroe County and Pioneer Library Systems. Ms. Bailey is Director of the Roots Chronology Program which completed the digitization of the Empty Closet, the oldest gay newspaper in New York State (1971– 2010), in 2010, and was the project co-director for 3 NYS /archives Grants. Ms. Bailey writes a monthly column in the Empty Closet, Shoulders to Stand On, and also a monthly History Corner of local, gay historical events. While on the Board of the Gay Alliance, she has served as Chair of the Development Committee, and Chair of the Programming Committee. Ms. Bailey is a leader in the Rochester LGBT community volunteering as Chair of the Pride Picnic 2013, Chair of Dining Out With Friends 2006 – 2008, and Chair of GAGV Bid From the Heart Auction from 1987 – 1989. Ms. Bailey has been a teacher of Mathematics for the past 30 years, and is a small business owner.