Two Black pioneers of Rochester are celebrated
Midge Thomas and Dr. Walter Cooper have paid their dues.
Each has fought the good fight; each has advocated for equality, for human rights.
Now in their 90s — Thomas is 97; Cooper is 95 — they sat on the stage of the Dryden Theater at the George Eastman Museum on April 29 and reflected on their lives.
It made for conversation rich in wisdom, in laughter, and in inspiration. The audience of nearly 500 gave Thomas and Cooper at least three standing ovations. It was an evening to treasure.
The event, which was moderated by Hélène Biandudi Hofer, celebrated the publication of chapbooks about Thomas and Cooper, part of the “In This Moment” series that profiles the lives of Black trailblazers in Rochester.
This is the third year of the series, which is curated by Amanda Chestnut and coordinated by Jeanne Strazzabosco.
Previous books feature a wide variety of individuals, including the Rev. Myra Brown and trumpeter Herb Smith. The compact books have an essay on each subject combined with photographs and are available for free at Rochester and Monroe County public libraries and schools.
Thomas was born in Rochester, raised in Mumford, and was the wife of Dr. Freddie Thomas, a scientist and educational leader and civil rights activist who died in 1974. She has impacted life here in a wide variety of ways, working with students, establishing community centers, starting clubs for seniors.
At the Dryden discussion, she remembered her effort to get a drinking fountain placed in Liberty Square in downtown Rochester in 1987.
The Miss Jane Pittman Fountain celebrates the moment at the end of the movie “The Diary of Miss Jane Pittman,” when a Black woman drinks at a whitesonly fountain.
The chapbook on Thomas has an essay by Martin Hawk and photographs by Jackie McGriff.
“Hundreds of pages have already been written by Midge Thomas,” Hawk writes, “and yet her story remains incomplete, to the fault of no author. Simply because she isn’t done writing it. There’s always more to do, more people to help, more community to build.”
Inspired by Thomas’ thoughts on establishing a community garden, McGriff took some of her pictures of Thomas at Arena’s flower market on East Avenue in Rochester. They show her happy and proud in a world of color and vitality.
Cooper, a native of Pennsylvania, was the first Black man to get a doctorate in physical chemistry from the University of Rochester. He stayed on to work as an engineer at the Eastman Kodak Co. and has been deeply involved in efforts to improve schools here.
At one moment during the Dryden event, Cooper surprised the audience by offering some rap, just as he has while visiting with prison inmates. Earlier he stressed the importance of education and of libraries. “When a child is 7 years old, you walk that child to a library, check out a book,” he urged.
The chapbook on Cooper was written by Robert Vickers, with photographs by Adam Eaton.
Eaton said his goal was to make sure Cooper was “personified as regal, elegant.” Thus, we see Cooper sitting, reflective, composed.
The writers and photographs — Hawk, McGriff, Vickers and Eaton — each said they found working on the chapbooks and spending time with their subjects to be inspirational.
The lesson Eaton said he learned resonated with the audience, all those who had gathered to honor two people who have given so much:
“Even though Rochester does have a lot of issues that need to be solved,” Eaton said, “there is hope.”