Myra Brown

Senior Pastor, Spiritus Christi Church

Years in current role: 8

What was your biggest success in 2021?

One of my biggest successes in 2021 was the realization that, as a Pastor of Spiritus Christi Christi church and as the founder of the organization Black Community Focus fund, we had raised one million dollars to help create Rochester’s first civil rights heritage park, that will be located at Baden Street Park in the Upper Falls Blvd. 14605 area. The park will tell the story of the civil rights freedom struggle and will be named after Minister Franklin D Florence, who has been a leader in the Rochester community for decades.

What are your expectations for 2022?

It is my vision to collaborate and use resourced efforts and our will to address poverty, systemic racism, homelessness, in an accelerated way. I believe that whatever is in our reach to give should be given without hesitation, if we follow this model, perhaps we will see a 50% reduction in these areas.

What is your favorite thing about the Rochester community?

One of the greatest things about the Rochester community is that it has many visionary leaders within it. There is generosity of heart among the people. Rochester’s community has the ability to commit joy to the struggles that we engage that are part of the liberation movement for people of color and those living on the margins. I am also quite fond of our young people who keep calling on us for change, and not just for incremental progress.

This profile is part of Rochester Business Journal's Power 100 list for 2022. Information used in this profile was sourced from the honoree. View the full list at rbj.net.