Freedom, Independence, God, Honor, Today

1965
1979
Rochester
New York

Freedom, Integration, God, Honor, Today (FIGHT) was founded in Rochester, New York as a grassroots organization to address the systemic racial and economic injustices facing the city’s African American population. Funded by small donations and church contributions, FIGHT was born out of the deep-seated frustrations that led to the 1964 race riots in Rochester. FIGHT adopted a confrontational and assertive approach that challenged both private and public entities under the leadership of Minister Franklin Florence with assistance from Saul Alinsky. One of its major achievements was getting Eastman Kodak to commit to train and hire more Black employees.