NAACP Rochester branch hosts live speaker series during Black History Month

(ABC 6 News) – Every Saturday during the month of February, NAACP Rochester Minnesota Branch hosts live speaker series on its Facebook page to discuss various topics that impact the black community.

Hosted by the president of the Rochester branch, Wale Elegbede, and others, the organization paid tribute Saturday to those who lost their lives due to violence.

They marked their passing through spoken word, poetry, song and tributes shared by community voices. Both national and local heroes were honored, such as Amir Locke, Daunte Wright, George Floyd, Todd Banks Jr. of Rochester and Kokou (Christopher) Fiafonou of Austin, MN.

"And these lives were taken before they had a chance to live fully. This has certainly been the case in Minnesota before the year 2000, but we focus our awareness on the recent landscape in this space," Kindra Ramaker, Department Diversity Leader at Mayo Clinic, said.

The next speaker series is next Saturday at 11 a.m. on Black Art Excellence: A Celebration of Black Art.