Black History Month traditionally celebrates great leaders of the past who have devoted their lives to helping their communities. It is, perhaps, equally important to note the people today who, for neither fame nor fortune, practice these same ideals. Insider found three such members of the Rochester community and asked them about their goals and aspirations.
Micheal Shaw
Age: 32
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Lives: Rochester
Job: president of Quikpix Photography Inc., 561 South Clinton Ave.
Shaw has been an entrepreneur for most of his life.
He launched his first business as a child, selling frozen Kool-Aid treats (which he called juleps) at the Corn Hill Arts Festival.
Born and raised in Rochester, Shaw attended Edison Tech, Monroe Community College and State University College at Brockport.
“Rochester is home,” says Shaw, “and you always have a special place in your heart for home. I believe that Rochester has all the potential necessary for its destined greatness.”
Shaw has done a lot to help the community.
He has worked at East High School, the Urban League of Rochester and for Planned Parenthood.
At East High, Shaw developed and coordinated the Students Trying to Overcome Pressures (S.T.O.P.) program.
Shaw says this program, which featured trips to the Monroe County morgue, “was developed to combat on-campus student violence through exposing students to the realities and consequences of violent behavior.”
In 1999 Shaw started his own business, QuikPix Photography — a portrait studio and photo shop.
“I see my role as small-business owner playing an important role in the community landscape,” Shaw says.
“We are vested in not only doing business in this community but also growing to provide employment opportunities to the youth of this community so that they may also reinvest in Rochester. It is my strong belief that a community is like a child — you get out of it what you put into it.”
Tonya Taylor
Age: 32
Lives: Rochester
Job: director of development and communications for Wilson Commencement Park
Taylor has always felt the need to be active in her community.
“I've always known,” says Taylor, “that I wanted … to fight and work hard for those who couldn't fight for themselves, to be their voice and their truth.”
Taylor followed this path as the editor of a nonprofit New York City newspaper, DiverseCity , before she became active in other aspects of that city's nonprofit sector.
After six years in New York City, Taylor moved to Rochester in 1999 to work in development and communications at The Health Association (now DePaul Innovative Solutions) a non-profit health agency.
She now works at Wilson Commencement Park, an organization that provides resources and services to low-income parents and their children. “This program has impacted the lives of many, who otherwise may not have had the support they needed to become self-sufficient and stable,” she says.
Having spent so much time in New York City, Taylor has a unique view of Rochester.
“It seems almost impossible,” she says, “that in such a small town where the level of economic, social, health and educational resources are so abundant, there should be so much suffering amongst its poorest citizens.”
Through WCP, Taylor believes that she is able to make a difference. She says, “I feel blessed to have been given the opportunity to be heard, to collaborate and to be a part of an organization that works!”
As for future plans, Taylor has her work cut out for her.
“I also hope,” she says, “that I can help to alleviate the racism and the subtle exclusionary practices that make life so difficult for people of color. Racism is deeply rooted in economics, and without the value of education, people of color will be left behind, so I hope that I will be able to help build a culture of literacy in Rochester that will touch families for years to come.”
Jacob L. Scott
Age: 30
Lives: Rochester
Job: Student Support Center district coordinator for the Rochester City School District
Scott grew up in Rochester, attending Edison Tech High School and then the University of Rochester. When he graduated with degrees in political science and history, he started his dream job as a social studies teacher.
His childhood in Rochester, Scott says, “has given me common ground when talking to young people … I am able to rationalize and better understand some of their situations.”
After gaining valuable experience at School 33, he returned to college and earned his Master's in Education from State University College at Brockport.
Then he took a job as a guidance counseler at Edison Tech, before graduating to his current position.
“I know the dangers that lurk,” says Scott, “but I had dreams and I had people that stayed by (my) side. I just want to give back the same way others did for me.”
Scott also coaches junior varsity basketball at Edison and, when he's not at work, runs several programs, such as his summer cultural competency workshops, which teach “young people the importance of getting along with themselves … If you don't love yourself — no one else will either.”
Scott has also formed The Brotherhood, a support group at Edison for young males.
“(It) is a dynamic organization,” says Scott, “established specifically to assist our young men to excel academically, socially, culturally, professionally and in the community.”
Despite receiving tempting job offers in other parts of the country, Scott says that his love of Rochester “runs deep. I have lived here all my life … (and) want to make a difference in the same back yard that raised me.”
His goal is to become superintendent of the City School District.
“I would love to be known as a life-long educator,” says Scott, “who inspired young people in the city of Rochester to reach for their dreams and to never give up!”
