>> From WXXI news.

This is Connections.

I'm Racquel Stephen filling in for Evan Dawson.

Our connection this hour will be made in the town of Pittsford on January 14th, and again on the 21st.

And finally on the 25th in honor of Martin Luther King Jr., a team of organizers is bringing back its Living the Dream series.

This year, they're starting with a question if we treated our civil rights like a fortune 500 company, what would be different?

Are we managing our democracy with the same rigor that we use for American businesses?

One of the founders of the series is former Pittsford Town Councilman Kevin Beckford.

He says he wanted to move beyond one day of thinking about Dr.

King every January.

He said he wanted a series of programs designed to push his community to think deeply about civil rights and equality.

He knew it might get uncomfortable.

He says we have to work through our discomfort if we're going to make progress.

This year, the series includes a visit from the Mobile Museum of Tolerance, as well as an interfaith service.

We talk about all of this in the hour with our guests.

Welcome back to Kevin Spencer Beckford, founder of the MLK Living the Dreams series.

Welcome back Kevin.

Thank you.

And we have Reverend JD Jackson Jr., the pastor of United Church of Pittsford.

Nice to see you.

I didn't know you were going to be a guest.

Like, hey, that's my friend.

Yeah, pleasure.

Pleasure.

Nice to have you here.

And.

Okay, I'm going to get this right.

I know I am, Fariha Kumar.

Perfect president of Pittsford CommUNITY community.

All right.

With the emphasis on the unity.

And I want to welcome all of you here.

Thank you for joining us on Connections.

we're going to talk about the Living the Dream series.

Now, this has been around for a number of years, I believe seven years.

>> Seven years.

>> Seven years.

And how do you program it?

In a way to make sure that you don't just get the same faces, the same people attending, and you actually get people who might have different views and opinions?

>> So great question.

So we because it's been so many years, we have a really good planning team.

we call it like the core five of us.

It usually gets a little bit broader as we get closer.

So we actually started talking about this as early as about six months in advance.

And so what we.

And so if we think about this year or last year I guess now we're in 2026.

26 is that we had to sort of make some predictions on where the country going.

And so it was really clear.

I remember in that early discussions we usually have like a meeting first to say, well, what do we think the concept should be?

What's going to be happening in the country.

And then also here locally.

And how does that match up and how does that tie in to the dream and living the dream and not just, you know, talking about it and citing quotes from it, which, you know, certainly has its value, but I just feel that if, if we could talk to Dr.

King today and he said, you know, I appreciate you celebrating me in January, but I left you a prescription, one that has yet to be filled.

And we are the pharmacists, all of us.

We have the ability, the agency position and power to create that change.

So I you know, to me, that's that's the whole genesis behind this program is that it's a gift to Pittsford that will outlive JD and myself.

And so ultimately, over time, we had to say, okay, well, what do we think will be happening?

And at the time we said, you know, it was based on what we were seeing then we knew that we had elected a new administration, regardless of party, that that prior to getting elected, and even in his last term as president, it was really clear he didn't believe in due process.

He didn't believe in love.

He didn't believe in, in, in basically, he didn't believe in, you know, the things that as a nation, we certainly have a good constitution, but we know all of us if we know our history.

It was somewhat flawed, right?

And I used somewhat I'm being nice.

It was flawed.

And so but the nice thing is that what I love about America, and I'm a first generation immigrant, I moved here from the Caribbean, born in Jamaica, grew up in the Bahamas for 18 years.

>> Okay.

My brother.

Yes.

Caribbean girl too.

Very cool.

>> Yeah.

You got it.

I tell you, I knew that.

So and so.

I watch you when you're hosting.

So and so.

So one of the things that was really important to me is that one of the gifts that the founders gave us, they did not give us the gift of understanding humanity.

They did not, because as they were writing those words, they were enslaving human beings.

But they gave us a gift, which means we can change it the most.

The most important gift of our Constitution is we have the ability and to use our agency position and power to change it, which means that we can make it better.

Yeah.

And so so we knew that this year we wanted to leave some space to say, how do we understand the history of what's been happening in the world as it relates to civil and human rights?

And where do we think the country will be in January?

And here we, as we said, we are coming up on a year and we have lost more human and civil rights that people who celebrate Dr.

King and quote him to this day at the same token, they are now shepherding, erasing African American contribution to America, erasing our culture, erasing literally our names from things.

And so for me, I feel like that's the conversation we want to have, but not just to have it.

Because I don't like inspiring people.

I like to inspire people to action.

So our hope is that when you come to these events, and I would encourage you, please come because we want to assemble the broadest, diverse coalition of people to ask ourselves, what can we do?

Politicians, individual contributors, you name it, to make and create the beloved community that we need to survive.

And it has to do with how do we get back in the driver's seat of preserving our democracy.

>> And with it's so significant now with this political climate right now, this series is, I would say, is probably more important now than than ever.

Right?

Especially for for this generation.

I know you had to you had to underscore that when planning this series.

Correct?

>> Yes.

Yeah.

And and we have a really broad team, you know, and, you know, and, you know, I will share with you a little bit too as well that, you know, we have both young people, we have folks that are retired, folks that are still working.

and one thing they have that ties us together is we really believe in what he said.

And we want to actually make it happen.

And so, JD, you know, I've known JD for over 30, almost 40 years.

we actually went to the same high school because I grew up in the Bahamas and graduated high school there, but my sponsor wanted me to graduate from an American high school before going to college.

So I spent six months at Ross High.

That's where we actually met the first time.

We later on, we became friends.

He was the best man at my wedding 23 years ago.

And and so when he was installed as the first African American pastor in Pittsford, and I'm the first African American to be elected to the town of Pittsford, I said, I think God's sending both of us a wink.

>> Yeah.

>> He said, we need to do something.

So that's the reason why I moved the permanent location of the festival there.

So it will be there forever.

In Pittsford, we have the best parking, free parking.

Audio visual streaming capability.

And then we have a nonprofit that that we started that essentially will outlive all of us, that will make sure that this dream will have something to carry out.

And why.

Pittsford.

Because we are.

I live there, but I can be very frank with you, and I've said it on this show many times.

We have work to do.

We will put a Black Lives Matter sign on our yard, but we do nothing to change the construct that prevents African American Hispanics from ever living there.

>> And I want to address that, Kevin, because yeah.

Why?

Pittsford.

Right.

Because you would think something like this would be more impactful in the inner city.

why?

Pittsford.

>> So so I love this question.

So so so and I'm going to give a shout out to Adam Chodak.

He's the first person to ask me that.

In fact, actually, if you get a chance, you go on YouTube, you type in Adam Shou Chew Kevin Beckford.

There's a 20 minute interview.

In fact, I'll give it to you guys to put on this on the website for you.

So it's a long form interview of that very question.

And I said, you know, the reason being is because one of the best ways people can dismiss you is when you tell them to fix a problem in your yard.

And it's not you're not in the yard.

They'll say, what's in it for you?

What's your.

Or to use a legal term, what's your standing?

So what I'm trying to demonstrate in Tatiana and everybody involved in the work that we're doing in Pittsburgh, because it's not just us.

There's thousands of people in Pittsford that are now getting involved with saying, you know, we just because we can live here doesn't mean we don't want to fix it and make it better.

So if you walk into a house, this is the best analogy.

If I buy a house and I buy the house, I look in the bathroom and I see mildew, black mold all over, what do I go?

Oh, I guess it was there before I got there.

I just won't use that bathroom.

No, we fix it.

So.

So one of the things I learned about Pittsford after moving there, because I didn't grow up there, my wife grew up there and she didn't really understand.

As a person who grew up not really noticing the inequities, she now sees it to realize that we have a talent that went out of our way to keep African Americans out to the point where we had in our company restrictions.

We then went out of our way using exclusionary zoning laws to make sure it was unaffordable.

And he knew that would work because the top five companies that were hiring people in Rochester, they all lived in Pittsford and Brighton.

And so they they knew they weren't giving us access to jobs to make more than a certain amount.

So there was another financial way to keep you out.

We're still doing that to this day.

Except guess what happens?

Inequity doesn't stop at your doorstep.

It goes anywhere.

So now we have a town that when we build a 1700 square foot ranch is $700,000.

That really should be a third of that or half of that.

And so now it's hurting everyone.

And so I believe that at the end of the day, the best place to work on a problem is where the problem exists.

>> Yes.

That was that was a great answer.

Okay.

I was a trick question.

I want to make sure that, you know, you were doing your homework.

Well.

>> All of my friends asked me to say, Kevin, one question, and he said to me one day, says, Kevin, why are you doing all this work in Pittsford?

They don't even want you there.

I said, you know something?

I said, you know why?

If you have a problem, how do you face it if you're not in it?

>> Yeah.

>> And so I want to be a constant reminder that says I may be able to afford to live here, but that's not a reason for me to be okay with us being a segregated.

>> Yeah.

And Reverend Reverend Jackson what is your stance with being a black pastor, a reverend in Pittsford in the town of Pittsford.

Right.

What is your viewpoint as far as the church and how the church, the what the church is doing to basically address these inequities?

>> I'm just letting the the door be open for people like Kevin and, and others to, to come into the church.

I facilitate that as pastor.

I wasn't looking for a job when I was called to the church in Pittsford, but, you know, I had a prayerful moment of discernment and it's like, okay, why not go there and do the work?

You know, it's very easy to to be in the city and, you know, do it amongst, you know, people who look like me.

but but going out there, you know, I can make a difference.

And I believe that I am, you know, on my little corner there of sunset and Main.

>> Yeah, I want to I want you to elaborate on that, because we know in the black community that the church is the nucleus, right, for the black community.

We go to church for whether it's health, whether it's shelter.

that's that's a staple in the black community where black people are dominant, right?

In a town like Pittsford.

Do you feel as if.

Yes.

Is your assignment different and how does it differ?

>> Oh, it's very much different.

just the the way people consider church, it's not as much of a interwoven thing as, you know, in the African American community.

It is the end all be all.

You know, most of people of a certain age, my age would, would claim that they were on the drug program, meaning their parents drug them to church.

You would go to, you know, Sunday school and the church, and then there'd be something afterwards you might have a meal.

or different other things going on at the church here.

It's like, okay, what, you want us to come back to a program more than once a year?

>> So your role, you believe your role as a reverend is is different?

>> Yeah.

Yeah, very, very much.

You know, and again, it's letting people know how the the other side lives and that other side becomes you know, bigger than just black and white.

Yeah.

You know, a lot of people see the world as black and white.

But you know, what we're even doing with the interfaith program is bringing these different sides there.

You know interfaith multicultural.

all of these things are at the table.

So people are seeing things that they would not normally see.

>> So and in regards to Living the Dream series, right.

What what can we anticipate from your.

>> From my end.

>> Yeah.

>> Well, mainly for me is the, the interfaith program.

Yeah.

when, when Kevin mentioned having a place for the Living the Dream series, it's like.

Okay, Kevin I can make sure you have a place to, to come to outside of the library where they used to have it.

It's like, yeah, you can have it at my church, but you got to do something for me.

Martin Luther King was a minister.

We gotta have a religious element to this, and you know that.

And that's what I do.

Yes.

So let's put together a program, a church program, and let's go beyond just, you know, a Christian program.

Let's bring others of different faiths in.

So there's people, you know, that are probably sitting there that have never been to, you know, a Jewish temple or have never been to the the Muslim mosque.

The mosque.

Thank you.

Yeah.

So they get to interact with all of these people and see that, you know, okay, they put on their pants just like you, you know breathe the same air.

You know, foods may be a little different, but try it.

You might like that.

That food, you know, take that person to lunch or vice versa.

And, you know.

>> Yeah.

>> Find out where you have the similarities.

>> Yeah.

No.

This series, it's hard to shy away from the political aspect of it.

Right.

And and, Reverend Jackson, I know with your with your title, do you feel like you have to shy away?

Do you feel that?

>> No.

>> No.

>> No, not at all.

I mean, even on Sunday morning, there may not be names called out, but right is right.

Right.

You know, I do have some people because I, I even just mentioned the word politics one Sunday and one of my parishioners is waving his finger at me and it's like, okay, no, right is right.

Yeah.

You know, I'm going to call it out for, you know, what it is and what it ain't.

>> Yeah.

So at the interfaith service, can we anticipate you addressing right and wrong?

>> Yes.

>> In any in any field.

>> Yeah.

We have numerous speakers that are going to be on the the bill there.

And it's different what you're talking about.

What makes this year different than last year.

We have different players.

You know, I haven't shown Kevin the the list yet, but but there's, there's different people whose voices may not always be heard, but they're out doing the work.

Yes, yes.

So you will hear from them.

and churches typically, you know, women are underrepresented.

So we're kind of top heavy this time.

I did this purposefully so people will notice, like, oh, wow, there's a, you know, a woman rabbi there.

You know, I don't know if most people know that there can be women rabbis, but we have one on the bill.

Yeah.

Okay.

And others of, you know, varying persuasions that that are doing their thing.

>> And speaking about women on the bill.

I'm sorry.

Kevin.

Farrah.

Right.

Ha ha ha.

Yes.

Okay.

I know you spent some years getting involved in, in your community in various ways.

and sometimes that can come with some backlash or, or discomfort.

Right.

can you, can you speak to that a little bit?

And how has it been?

running your your organization?

>> Sure.

so I actually have been in Pittsford for over 30 years.

I went through Pittsford schools and now I'm a parent and I have kids in the district.

I always say that I was misplaced in Pittsford.

and but kind of like Kevin stated, like, you know, this is my home, right?

So I'm going to invest.

You can't just kind of go up and leave, right?

if something's wrong, you kind of have to fix it.

there has been numerous backlash.

I have been called everything from the cancer of Pittsford.

to, you know, anything and everything in between.

Wow.

and it's really because I advocate, I stick up, I want kind of what?

You know, Reverend JD was saying what is right is right.

and so when you speak out against, you know, if you speak up for things a lot of times you get that backlash.

I've had threats you know, I've had to report things to the sheriff's office, like, it's just constant and, you know, my family knows this you know, I've left them messages just in case something happens to me.

you know, so it is.

It's pretty serious.

My husband will always tell me.

He's like, why do you keep doing this right?

Like, how many times do you have to run into the brick wall before you stop?

And my answer is always, well, eventually that brick wall will crack.

>> Yeah.

So I, I'm interested in knowing exactly what Pittsford CommUNITY is doing for you to get all this, these threats and.

>> Pittsford CommUNITY.

not only do we do our Martin Luther King series, which is a big one, we also do a lot with Pittsford Pride which we've been doing for five years now as well.

and then along with that, we've done other events like Drag Story Hour, which has caused a few issues in Pittsford.

we've done a zoning code workshop, which also kind of caused some uproar.

you know, so we so our main goal in Pittsford with Pittsford CommUNITY is to bring that education, that awareness and that sense of belonging.

so those of us that founded Pittsford CommUNITY all kind of came together because we want Pittsford to be a place where we are represented.

we didn't feel that was happening.

so we kind of took it upon ourselves to do it.

so we're hoping that, you know, eventually, you know, we we have some support in the village, right, with the village government.

and now with a turn in election on the town level, we're hoping that we'll get a little bit more support from the town as well.

So a lot of the stuff is funded by the community, right?

We ask for sponsorship.

We ask for donors.

because we don't get the funding from the town or the village.

yes.

>> So what keeps you doing this work.

>> Kevin?

>> No, I believe Kevin is convincing.

What keeps you there?

Yeah.

>> Yeah.

Honestly, like, you know, it's a place where I grew up.

I'm invested in it.

I know when I was growing up, I always wished that there was someone there for me, right?

To advocate for me, to speak out for me.

So now, using what Kevin always says, agency, position and power, I want to be that person.

I want to be that person.

For those folks like me I want folks to be in Pittsford and to be able to see themselves.

Right?

I want them to be in Pittsford and feel a sense of belonging, like it has taken me over 30 years to even feel like I belong in Pittsford.

so and that's hard because it's a it's where I live.

That's all I know.

And when you're in a town and you don't feel like you belong, it's really hard.

And I don't want that for anybody else.

>> And it's troubling to me because as people of color, we thrive, right?

To make it out of the inner city and be in places like Pittsford and and the Irondequoit and the victors.

Right.

We thrive for that.

That's the goal.

To make it out and live that life.

Right.

American dream goal.

so how why do we do it?

Why do we want to be where we don't feel like we belong?

>> Well, I think for me, and this is an important question because I have to share with you first how I look at the world.

Right.

Like, to me I look at Pittsford as as land.

It's an area that really anybody should have access to.

And so because of the, the genesis of how this country has developed and grown and I have this perspective because I came here after I had formed certain opinions as a human being.

And so for me, it was probably the most powerful moment for me that, I can say this without getting too emotional.

my sponsor lived in Henrietta, and and she sponsored eight families.

I was one of the eight.

And when I first got here, I had a big afro.

I was in bald like I am today, and.

>> Neither me, neither.

>> So I, I I remember the day I, you know, had I was able to go to the barber and the barber was in Henrietta and I walked in and in the islands you usually have more people on the island, and particularly because I was born in Jamaica, but I grew up in the Bahamas.

So one of the islands was Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas, and Freeport, Grand Bahama.

You always had 2 to 3 times more people on the island than that lived on the island.

And they were all tourists.

So I grew up with people from East India, you know China, Japan, Japan Europe, you name it.

So.

So I grew up with this sort of understanding that I was a global citizen.

And, and so, so I had this deep appreciation and was excited about that difference.

Like, what's your language?

What's your like, what do you do?

So I walked into the barber shop and didn't even occur to me that I was the only person of color walking in.

I just sat down, started reading the newspaper until I got tapped.

I got and I sat down in the chair.

They put the blank.

Anybody has a barber, right?

They put the stuff around you and you know, and then.

And then I'm waiting to hear, like, you know, like stuff and and so I before I was just, hey I said, I want to go all the way down, give me a brush cut.

You know screw a front round back.

>> You kept going.

>> And I just kept reading, and then nothing happened.

And I look over, and this.

The white barber is looking at me, and he's holding a scissors in his hands.

He said I've never cut your hair before.

I said, excuse me.

He says, I've never cut your kind of here before.

First of all, I didn't know I had a kind of here.

So I was like, I said, what?

I've never cut your kind of hair before.

I said, well, what are you going to do?

He says, he showed me the scissors and my afro was out to here.

So I said, that's not going to work.

So at that point I looked up and all the white people in the barbershop were looking at me, but it was a look I'd never felt in my life.

Because it was a look that made me feel like I wasn't human.

They weren't looking at me like, you're in the wrong room.

What the hell are you doing here?

I got up, I took the thing off.

And as I was walking out, I sat in the car and I went, what just happened?

And I went home and I said, Patsy, you won't believe what just happened to me.

And before I finished, she said, oh, honey, you should have told me what you were doing.

You got to go to Genesee Street or Thurston Road or Brooks Avenue.

I said, what's happening there?

She says, that's where the barbers are.

That's where all all of our services are.

They just allowed us to live out here.

Our services aren't here yet.

I said.

We got an area so just imagine feeling that at that point.

So for me, Pittsford is just another piece of land.

But because of what we did, it's.

And I think, you know and, you know, I'm not going to call names because I don't want this is not about politics, but some believe that Pittsford is like something you have to earn a right to live there.

That it's exclusive, and they consider it a badge of honor.

I lived there, and I consider it a badge of shame.

And so for me the reason why I got death threats with the zoning conference she put on, the reason why my family lived with death threats my last year in office.

That's why I decided not to run again.

Is because we simply wanted to say exclusionary zoning laws is the last defense of white supremacy in Pittsford.

If we move to inclusionary zoning laws, it allows developers to do what they want to do, which is more dense housing, apartments, condos, townhomes, patio homes.

That would bring the price down by half to almost two thirds.

That would allow more human beings to live there from every race, every religion.

And that statement alone garnered a death threat on my family.

That just thought alone.

And so I don't want people that live in Pittsford to feel like you're bad.

What I'm saying to you is that I believe there's more of us that live in Pittsford.

30,000 people, 10,000 homes that want what we just talked about.

But here's what's happening.

They have the sickness of apathy.

Dr.

King talked about that in the 60s, that our worst enemy is people who don't believe it's their business.

And I believe if everybody would hear what they're hearing today when they listen to the show and say, let me get my butt up out of the bed, let me join Pittsford CommUNITY.

What can I do to use my my agency, my position, and my power to create the beloved community and stop just saying I have a dream.

The dream was never supposed to stay a dream.

It was supposed to be what we are living in today.

>> Yeah.

>> Sorry.

>> Yeah, I appreciate that.

Kevin and and Reverend Jackson, do you feel like you're living this dream with what you're doing in Pittsford?

Do you feel like you are extending Dr.

King's legacy.

>> Approaching it, living.

>> It.

>> you know, we're making steps toward that, right?

Yeah.

>> You're still walking in his footsteps.

You believe what?

You're just planting yourself there and making change?

>> Yeah, right.

>> I think for me I always go back to his letter.

The Birmingham letter where he really stresses the white moderates.

Right.

and he, talks about the KKK and how it's harder, like, it's easier to notice those folks than it is the white moderates.

And I think of course I'm making it shorter, but that's really what it is.

Right.

And so it's kind of, for me and kind of going with the apathy route, it's trying to get those folks who are, who see what's happening.

But aren't at that step to do it yet.

Right.

and so, you know, and there has been change.

I will say that in Pittsford, there has been change.

There has been folks who have started talking, started stepping up.

so we are approaching that.

Right.

but we definitely have a lot of work to do.

we have I wouldn't say we're living the dream yet.

>> But you're trailblazing.

>> We're we're we're.

>> Definitely.

>> Definitely moving.

Yes.

and coming back to that other quote, right.

If you can't walk, you know, the crawl like that whole kind of concept.

Right?

So it's we're going to go we're going to get there.

I'm not going anywhere.

So those are people in Pittsford who kind of want me gone.

I'm not going anywhere.

They asked me all the time, they're like, if you don't like it, leave.

That's not what I'm saying, right?

>> I this is why women make history.

Yeah.

>> Like I love Pittsford, which is why I'm doing what I'm doing.

Right.

I want Pittsford to be you know, it's great.

It's a great place, right?

It's got great schools, but it needs to be a place where everybody can get there.

Right?

we don't live in a bubble, nor should we.

the folks that graduate from Pittsford go out and struggle, right?

Because they are so isolated.

My hope and my my dream is that we become more inclusive.

And I've said this in multiple events, like standing up and giving my closing at the interfaith, looking out at the crowd that is the Pittsford that I want, right?

That is the Pittsford that I hope for.

and I think it's important that growing up in Pittsford, we are able to see all of these different things.

Right.

and I think that's what needs to be represented.

>> and, Reverend Jackson, do you do you consider yourself a servant leader?

>> Very much so.

Yeah.

And you know, my service right now on every Sunday morning is basically planting seeds, you know there's a need to shine a light on a lot of different things.

People know certain facts, but for some reason, they're in a fog.

Yeah.

You know I had a good friend of mine who visited my church recently.

He's like, do you know your audience?

Are you allowed to say that kind of thing in your church?

He's shocked that I say certain things in Pittsford.

It's like, okay, letting them be reminded of the fact that that Jesus was not a white person, you know, was definitely a person of color.

He was not an American, did not speak English.

did not write a word of the Bible, you know, like, oh, I want to, you know, read what what Jesus wrote.

And it's like, no, Jesus didn't write anything in the Bible.

That's all that wrote that about Jesus.

And you know, that that's kind of an eye opener.

Yeah.

You know, sadly, you know, when you say Jesus wasn't American, people look at you like, you know, how dare you?

Like, really?

>> So so it kind of it works both ways, right?

Because while the community is making is making you sit in this type of discomfort, your message is also sending discomfort.

>> Yes.

Yeah.

And it's a universal truth.

It's like you just have to think, you know, I'm not saying anything that that should be you know, earth shattering or mind blowing.

You know, it's a fact.

You know I got into a little controversy, and I know I'm probably going to get in trouble because I know some people are listening to me, but I.

>> We're good for that here.

>> Yeah.

Well, you know, during Christmas, we have the, the nativity scenes that, that, that go up and, you know, Pittsford my church puts out the nativity scene.

I said, okay, when are we going to get rid of that eyesore?

Oh my God.

Caused a little firestorm, you know.

Oh well, you know, we we have older people that might be, you know you know, highly offended.

And, you know, they would have to adjust to that.

We're going to have to do some research.

Yeah.

>> So what did your nativity scene look like?

What did.

>> I never had a nativity scene.

>> So what what what did you envision?

>> personally, it would be just removing it before anything else, you know, and then work on, you know, maybe making it historically accurate.

Yeah.

You know, it's like, okay, I don't want to put you in the shock.

You know, if you're not used to seeing, you know, the historical accuracy of Jesus and the the family and the wise men and what have you, you know, just take it out for a little while until you can contemplate on what you really want to do here.

Do you want the truth or do you want, you know, a fabrication?

So that's just me.

>> Yeah.

And just kind of.

to piggyback onto that, one of Pittsford CommUNITY activities during that time is called Season of Lights.

Right?

Because there are so many different holidays that fall, starting with Diwali all the way to Lunar New Year, in that season of lights.

Right.

And so one of our biggest, one of our activities is that education piece.

Right.

So there's Yalda, there's winter solstice.

There's all of these Yuletide, you know, and so I think that's the important piece as well, is to understand that even in our small community, we there's so many other things.

Right.

So it's kind of all that education and how people are receptive to it.

>> Right?

In fact, one of the things I wanted to just to add to, to what they both shared is that if you go to YouTube and watch the video of I Have a Dream speech and they they panned the audience, right?

The people that were there, the 250,000 people that were there and in fact, if you listen to his words, he says, you know, this is not just and you mentioned this is not just a black and white issue.

This is really about humanity.

Exactly.

And so at the end of the day you know, you know, it's ironic to me that if Martin Luther King was alive today, if Jesus was here today as a carpenter, you know, you know, son of a carpenter and all, you know, they wouldn't be able to afford to live in Pittsford.

Right?

But we got all these.

We got more churches in little town of Pittsford, but our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, if you happen to believe in Christianity, if that's your thing, Jesus would not be welcome there because he's a he would be considered an immigrant.

Yes he would.

The people that are being really attacked and just poorly treated today that were quiet, listening, you know, doing anything about, I mean, you know, and to me, that's just like one example.

But, you know, Dr.

King is someone that our country recognizes was an important wake up call for America.

And they tried to silence him by killing him.

Right.

But his dream was not meant to stay there.

And so I just think that my hope is, is that for this series, I would encourage you, if you've never gotten the chance to go, you could actually go on YouTube and watch the previous sessions because it's not just live stream JD, it's actually archived there.

And so what it does, it lets you see that we have people from all different suburbs in the city of Rochester.

In fact, we're hoping the mayor, mayor, Mayor Evans actually is going to be coming this year.

that night for the 14th his office just reached out to me.

and so we're trying to say at the end of the day, all of these suburbs are branches of the tree of Monroe County.

We can't survive without it.

And so we're not some some island by itself.

And so at the end of the day if we're going to if we're going to survive as a democracy a multiracial democracy, a multi minority democracy where we all get to live in peace and, and have access to be able to live out our lives.

We have to learn how to love, laugh, play together and live together.

And so it's really that simple.

The hard part is that you know, and that example JD shared is really powerful because it kind of gets at what Tara and I just talked about, just the notion of having a nativity scene that's different is getting at something that's deep down that that, that people are not in touch with.

And so our hope is with these series, it's really it's a no judgment zone.

It's to say, let's come out and explore.

How can we move forward as a nation, as a beloved community?

How do we do that together?

Because you know what?

You know, I remember I said this to a person who said something pretty horrible to me one day that hurt my feelings because it was unbelievably disrespectful towards African Americans.

And they were saying it to me.

And when I got done, I said, I want you to know that I see that you're my family.

You just don't see that I'm yours.

That's the disconnect, right?

>> We're going to take a quick break here.

and we'll we'll speak more about this Living the Dream series in Pittsford.

We're going to have you break down the days and the events for me.

Stay with us at WXXI Connections.

>> I'm Megan Mack coming up in our second hour, our colleague Brian Sharp hosts a conversation about the Buffalo Bills stadium.

Rich Stadium, the Ralph Highmark Stadium, whatever.

You know it.

By soon it will be gone.

But before then, our panel of journalists takes us behind the scenes to share some stories, and we'll welcome your memories as well.

That's next.

Our.

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>> And we're back with WXXI Connections, and our connection is our.

We were speaking on the Living the Dream series in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.. That's happening in Pittsford.

January 14th, the 21st and the 25th.

And joining me in studio, I have Kevin Spencer Beckford, the founder of the MLK Living the Dream series.

Reverend Jesse Jackson Jr., the pastor of United and Tajani Tava Kumar, president of the Pittsford CommUNITY.

All right.

And Kevin, you said before that if we treated our civil rights like a fortune 500 company, what would be different?

And I want to I want to ask you what traits of a fortune 500 company that you think would actually make for a better democracy?

>> So it's interesting, right?

So if you think about what we're doing today in terms of really not valuing the talent of all human beings right here in America, if you had a company where you're really not looking at valuing all of your employees, allowing for everybody to reach their personal highest potential and cultivating an environment that allows for them to feel included and belonging, a sense of belonging and and value.

we wouldn't do that in a corporate setting.

And and if we do that, we're going to have an underperforming company.

So to me, when we think about and this is kind of and the reason I decided to kind of share this is because the people that I feel right now are the most apathetic around, really what's happening are the business owners, business leaders, because what they're trying to do is to say, I'm just going to keep on functioning my business and pretend like I'm not going to take a stand, because if I take a stand, well, I don't know what that would mean.

Well, what they don't realize is that if democracy goes away, your business actually is going to eventually change, because now you have businesses today that are having trouble hiring, promoting, and developing people.

Why?

Because they won't come to work.

Because we have actually allowed or the current administration to essentially devalue.

I mean, in fact, any African American listening to this today, you know, what you experience at work before this, you know, as a consultant, I've seen a 60% drop in my business because people now consider me to be a diversity consultant.

Over 300,000 African American women have lost jobs because our country decided to deny is actually criminal in their in their eyes.

Right.

And so there's so many things that are happening that are going to be affecting us and our ability to function.

So to me, what we're fighting for right now is basic dignity, human and civil rights.

And so the fact that we're doing that in 2026, and that's what Martin Luther King was willing to die for in the 50s and 60s right to me that there should be a broader coalition of people focusing on that.

You know, what I see today is that people are sort of waiting it out.

You know, you know, and thinking it's going to change.

And I just think at the end of the day, we wouldn't run a company like this.

So why are we running a country like this?

>> And what would you say to the people that are fatigued by this message?

Right.

That inequities exist and oh, they're just they're just, you know, making stuff up there.

They keep prolonging this.

Just work hard.

And like the rest of us, and there's no such thing.

>> So so I have an answer to that.

If you feel the way that you just described, I would say you don't even need to go to the doctor.

I can tell you up front, you have privilege.

>> Yeah, that was quite frank.

Yeah.

>> Well, so.

And how can I say that?

Because I don't know about you, but do you have the privilege to say.

I'm just so tired of this inequitable stuff?

I'm going to sit this out.

Yeah, that's Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday for me.

So but when you're privileged, I have a neighbor that said to me the other day, he said, I don't pay attention to all that stuff.

I said, well, that's nice that you have the privilege to do that, sir.

I said, I don't, you know.

>> What was your response to that?

>> I'm the one that walks around with my passport in my bag.

Yeah.

So and so that's what I tell people, right?

Like, it may be happening somewhere else, but it's it happens to all of us, right?

When you have a foreign name, when you have a brown colored skin, you're a walking target.

Yeah.

Right.

I can't I don't have the opportunity to be tired.

I don't have the opportunity to just sit and hope someone else takes care of it.

Because, you know, we all know that poem, right?

They first came for, and then they come for.

And when they came for me, there was no one.

Right.

I need to make sure that I am fighting that battle so that there are people there.

Yeah, right.

>> And, Reverend Jackson, are you are you making this mess?

Are you stressing this message on on your pulpit.

>> That very much.

And I. Yeah.

Tell about the life I live.

Like Kevin said the Tuesday through Sunday.

And, you know, every day.

Yeah.

Twice on Sundays.

Yeah.

So I mean, you know, I've even had moments, you know, I pull into my reserve parking spot at the church and there's a guy who walks down the street with his MAGA hat on.

He was staring me down one one day I was there and it's like, okay, seriously?

Yeah.

Like I'm not supposed to be here.

I'm in my own private parking spot in a, you know, decent car.

You know, walking into the the church, you know, putting my coat in.

But am I, you know, suspicious just because of the skin I'm in?

>> Yeah.

>> You know.

>> And but but I do know we do have allies.

>> Yeah.

Very much.

We have allies.

>> Do you feel like your allies are doing enough?

>> Yeah.

>> Sometimes they're apathetic.

As Kevin said.

You know, it's like, okay, well, we don't want to upset those other people.

You know, we want to take it slow.

Like what?

King used to talk about the gradualism.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

So there's a lot of that.

Like I was saying back with the the nativity thing, it's like.

Oh, well, yeah, you're right, but we don't want to, you know, upset somebody else.

>> Yeah.

>> Like okay, well when are we going to make that next step.

If you know I'm right.

>> Yeah.

>> You know.

>> And I think a lot of times.

Sorry.

I didn't mean to.

>> Cut you off.

Okay.

>> but I think a lot of times they are afraid of the retribution to them.

Yeah, right.

and once again, they have the privilege of saying.

I'm not going to answer this because I'm afraid of what will come back to me.

I don't have that privilege.

Right.

So if I put my name out there, then I need.

I know that my family is also a target.

Right.

and that is a risk that I have to take in order to protect them as well.

and, and so I think, you know, we do have allies that will put themselves out there, but there are some allies who will pick and choose.

>> Yes.

>> Right.

>> Yeah.

>> And they have the privilege.

>> To choose.

>> I know we, we we only have a few minutes left.

So I want to really dive into this series and what our attendees can expect.

Kevin.

the 14th, 21st and 25th.

>> Yeah.

So that's going to be the Mobile Museum of Tolerance.

>> On the.

>> 14th.

On the 14th.

And it's from 7 to 9 p.m.

at the United Church of Pittsford.

it's going to be awesome because if you went to the Syracuse State Fair, they had a huge bus out there which has like a basically a driving theater.

And so I went and I saw that I was so moved by it, I can I convinced them to actually have it at our church.

They have never done it before in a building.

So we're going to be the first time they profiled that.

And so I just want a big shout out to Jason and the team over at Mobile Museum of Tolerance.

And so they put together a project team to do this for us.

And it's basically three little mini documentaries.

And they're going to facilitate a community discussion.

And they normally do this for for high schoolers.

Right.

but it is such a moving experience because it shows you how people can get active to create change.

What apathy really does.

And it shows historically how that really relates to what's happening here today.

so that's on the 14th and on the 21st, we have a spoken word, and we do this every year because, Tara.

>> This is your favorite.

This is my.

>> Favorite.

Yeah.

I like every.

>> Time I'm like, we have.

>> To do spoken word.

>> I don't care what else we do.

It's spoken word.

>> And this is the poetry.

>> You.

I'm telling you, you walk away.

And by the way, everybody come.

You don't have to be a poet.

You don't have to be a singer.

Just come.

Because the most unbelievable experiences are the people that don't sing and don't know how to write poetry.

They just come up and talk and they explain things and, you know, like what's going on for them as it relates to what we're talking about today.

And, you know, and so just come on out.

And it's a real love fest, you know.

So and then the and then of course, the one on the 25th is going to be from 3 to 5.

So that, so that the 14th and the 21st is 7 to 9 p.m., which is a Wednesday night.

there's great parking.

You don't have to pay.

because in fact, that's why one of the reason why we like JD's church, because they have 100 spots to park.

Yes.

and and then so and then it's streamed online to as well.

so if you can't make it because there's a possibility this year we may end up getting a full house.

So definitely make sure you come here a little early so you can get a seat.

We do have an overflow in the basement area so that we could actually handle a couple more, like another 50, 60, 70 people.

but look forward to seeing you.

And and, you know, and also for the folks that, you know, in other communities, please come on over, we invite you to come, you know, because this is really not about the day.

It's about really how do we transform ourselves to go back to our communities, whether it be in the city or in the suburbs, to actually be an advocate for like, just think of it this way.

Imagine if Dr.

King visited you at night and go like, hey, what'd you do for me today?

You'd be able to go, hey, I did this.

So.

>> All.

>> Right, and where can people get tickets?

>> Or it's free.

>> It's free.

Everything is free.

>> Yeah.

Oh my gosh, I guess we should have mentioned that, huh?

Yes.

Now, granted, if you come, you can make a goodwill donation because I want.

I want my brother JD to be able to continue because, you know, because you know his board, they'll go like, oh, man, these people come and they leave a little bit of a little change behind.

Yeah.

So.

>> So the 14th, the 21st and the 25th.

>> The 25th.

>> All at United Church of Pittsford.

>> You got it.

And then and also if you could check out, you know, Pittsford CommUNITY.

Org we have things we do all year.

We could use your support both in time talent and treasure.

Because of what's happened at the national level.

We've lost some funding.

In fact, we lost probably two thirds of our funding for this event.

So.

So luckily we're able to kind of make things work, but we could use your time, talent and treasure, you know?

So thank you.

>> Yeah.

And for for our listening audience who may who heard the show today and may feel like, am I welcomed to these events?

>> Oh my gosh.

>> Absolutely.

>> In fact, actually, to be honest with you, I'm so glad you said that because this is not about party.

This is not about Democrat, Republican, independent.

This is about a community.

You know, I just I believe in, you know, call me naive.

I just believe life is so much better when you live with love in your heart and you see other people as humans that they are.

Because if most of the problems we see today in society, they come from a people that have love for their immediate circle, but they don't have love for the people outside the circle, because if you see someone and this will crystallize it for you.

When I watch what happened to Daniel Prude here in our community to make it personal to us, if all of those police officers that were standing around and laughing and talking while he was laying there naked in the cold, if they had saw their child, their wife, their son, they would have taken the shirt off their back to cover him up.

Hey man, hang in there.

Let's wait until the ambulance come.

And so what?

That tells you they have the capacity to go home and love their families because they didn't see them as fully human.

I mean, it's literally that simple.

The hard part is the work, right?

So you have to ask yourself why, what?

What point in my life did I decide or accept that I can actually see other people and not see them as fully human, because it had to have happened?

>> Yeah.

>> It had to have happened because if not, how were you?

How were you able to be apathetic about what's happening to other people?

>> Seven years doing this?

And like Living the Dream series, are you seeing the change in your community?

>> So and I'm going to share something I wasn't planning on sharing.

I believe we are.

Yeah.

but I just want to ask everybody, please find a way for you to find your cup of this change and change it, please.

>> Yeah.

>> I really appreciate that.

>> The 2026 MLK Living the Dream series at the United Church of Pittsford January 14th, 21st and 25th.

All right.

I want to thank our guests for stopping by some of the organizers of this series.

I have Kevin Beckford, Reverend Jackson Jr., and Tara Sivakumar.

Thank you.

Thank you for joining us on WXXI Connections.

Stay tuned in for our next hour.

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