Midge Thomas

Featured Leader: Midge Thomas

Midge Thomas is a creative visionary with a passion for bettering Rochester, New York. She and her husband, Dr. Freddie Thomas, were highly involved with tutoring and inspiring Rochester’s struggling youth in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

In the time since Freddie’s untimely death in 1974, Midge has dedicated her life to city improvement projects in his honor and memory. She’s established a not-for-profit foundation in his name, created and oversaw two city community centers, erected a public drinking fountain, and started numerous social clubs for aging seniors. She is the recipient of many local and national awards and continued her activism well into her 90s.

Midge is an inspiration and a testament to how one’s love and devotion can last a lifetime and inspire positive change.

Photographer: Jackie McGriff

Jackie McGriff (she/her/hers) is the owner of Jackie Photography and a full-time portrait, editorial, and event photographer whose mission is to help people embrace their unique beauty and build their confidence through cinematic imagery and affirming portrait sessions. 

She's also the Founder, Director, and Co-Producer of Our Voices Project, a production company committed to sharing the stories and lived experiences of Black, Brown, and Indigenous Peoples through visual storytelling, truthtelling, and their podcast, Representation in Cinema. 

When she's not working on a creative project, you can find her either listening to movie scores, hanging out with loved ones, watching documentaries, and/or catching up on TV shows and films.

Essayist: Hawk Martin

Hawk is an Abolitionist based in so-called Rochester, New York. Through filmmaking he captures the beauty and dignity of oppressed people. Telling their story with the Anti-Racist Curriculum Project, Free The People, and his debut feature-film ‘Pressure Gradient’, set for release, Fall 2024.