Rochester, N.Y. — The Community Justice Initiative hosted an event to honor Austin Steward, a prominent abolitionist and one of the first successful Black business owners in the area.

Community members were invited to enjoy food from a variety of Black vendors as part of the celebration.

Steward, born to enslaved parents in 1793, made his mark by opening a grocery store in the town of Brighton, becoming a significant figure in the community’s history.

Bilel Smith, co-builder of the Community Justice Initiative, emphasized the importance of such events. “It’s important to have events like this because there’s so much history in Rochester and oftentimes we don’t get exposed to the history and how rich the history of Rochester is amongst the Black community,” said Smith. “We hear about the FD and SBA’s but Austin Steward is a prominent and great figure that we should make sure we’re sharing history about in this community.”

This year marked the fourth annual Austin Steward Day celebration organized by the Community Justice Initiative.

__