Twenty years ago, Jackie Dozier welcomed 82 women into her backyard for a conversation many people were reluctant to have. Working in HIV/AIDS, she understood more than most that stigma was widespread, Black women faced significant health disparities related to the disease, and too often health was not a topic of conversation. What began as a modest gathering of family and friends has since grown into one of Rochester's most beloved traditions: A Call to Women of Color.
Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, the event was transformed into a three-day experience, bringing together generations of women and girls for reflection, learning, healing, celebration, and sisterhood. Across a film screening, a community gathering in Genesee Valley Park, and a Little Black Dress event, one message echoed loudly: Black women need spaces where they can be seen, supported, and celebrated. (See photographs from the three day extravaganza here).
Film screening highlights menstrual health—and much more
The festivities began Friday, September 11, 2026, at The Little Theatre, where attendees gathered for a screening of Me, period., a documentary exploring conversations about menstrual health between Black mothers, daughters, and caregivers. Before the film, young women and elders participated in a libation ceremony honoring ancestors and future generations alike. Young girls offered their gifts through dance while elder women stood behind them, a powerful symbol of what the entire weekend would come to represent: generations supporting each other. As one elder reminded the audience, "No woman gets to be a woman without another one."
The conversation that followed the film quickly grew into something larger than a discussion about menstrual health. Audience members shared stories about periods, fibroids, healthcare experiences, and the conversations many wished they had been able to have with the women who came before them. Attendees emphasized the importance of creating spaces where women and girls can speak openly about their health and learn from one another.
Reflecting on the film, its director Lisa Cunningham asked, "What can we do to help heal and repair?" Throughout the discussion, Cunningham returned to the idea that healing begins when women gather, tell the truth about their experiences, and ensure the next generation has access to the knowledge, support, and resources they may not have had themselves.
A day of sharing, caring, and supporting each other
That spirit carried into the gathering at Genesee Valley Park on Saturday, September 12, where hundreds of women filled the Roundhouse Pavilion for a day of health education, community resource displays, vendor exhibits, movement, fellowship, and celebration.
As Saturday’s keynote speaker, Cunningham continued to challenge attendees to think about legacy in a different way.
"What are we passing down?" she asked the crowd. While people often think of inheritance as something tangible, she urged women to consider the lessons, beliefs, and expectations they pass from one generation to the next. Some, she said, are worth keeping. Others may need to be left behind.
"We love to talk about generational trauma," she said. "But we’ve got to start talking about generational love."
The message resonated throughout the weekend, where conversations about health were matched by conversations about hope, healing, and the responsibility women have to nurture future generations.
"It's a reunion for me," said longtime attendee Grace Law, who has been attending since the early years. "I see people I haven't seen in years."
Others described the unique feeling of gathering in a space created specifically for Black women.
"It's hard to find spaces where Black women can come together in a unified way," said Colette Muhammad. For her, A Call to Women of Color has become an opportunity for women throughout the community to come together "in the name of sisterhood."
That sisterhood was visible as women browsed vendor tables, shared resources, reconnected with old friends, and supported local Black women entrepreneurs. Throughout the afternoon, attendees participated in conversations about mental health, menopause, chronic disease, healthy aging, and self-advocacy.
Dr. Mary Bisbee-Burrows, chair of the African American Health Coalition, has participated in A Call to Women of Color for more than 15 years. While HIV/AIDS is no longer the crisis it was when the gathering began, she noted many health inequities remain.
"There are still healthcare disparities that exist," she said. "There's still a lot of work to do when it comes to prevention and intervention [of HIV]." At the same time, she believes the event offers something equally important: hope.
"When there is a mechanism or program that's in place to inspire and give someone continual hope, that's a plus," she said. "Folks don't have to feel alone in whatever they're going through."
A little black dress brings a lot of joy
For Bisbee-Burrows, the event succeeds because it balances education with joy. That joy was on full display Sunday, September 13 at the anniversary weekend's culmination, the Little Black Dress event at La Luna in Brown’s Race. Dressed up in black and gathered around tables decorated with colorful flowers and other adornments, women and girls participated in conversations about confidence, self-worth, life lessons, and the importance of lifting one another up.
The event's intergenerational spirit was evident in the many mother-daughter, grandmother-granddaughter, and other senior-junior pairs who were there, including Valerie Edwards-Brown and her 15-year-old grandniece, Autumn Brown.
Edwards-Brown intentionally invited her niece because she wanted her to experience a space where young Black women could see themselves reflected, celebrated, and affirmed.
The event felt "very connected" and "very classy," Brown said, adding that it made her feel confident and welcome.
Brown's experience was exactly what she had hoped for. "I wanted her to feel like she belongs here," Edwards-Brown explained.
During breakout discussions, older women shared advice they wished they could give their younger selves: forgive yourself, speak up, choose relationships wisely, and trust your voice. The conversations flowed in both directions, reflecting the weekend's belief that wisdom belongs to every generation.
Considering the weekend’s events, Cunningham, who traveled from Atlanta to participate, said what stood out most was seeing women and girls learning alongside one another. "We've got to start doing more of that," she said. "Because there can't be this divide in the generations."
For those closest to Jackie Dozier, the anniversary was not only a celebration of an event. It was a celebration of a woman who has spent two decades creating space for others.
Her daughter, Ashley Bush, was a senior in college at that first event, and has witnessed that impact from the very beginning. Reflecting on the milestone, she described it as "a blessing" to watch her mother continue bringing women together year after year.
"It's been a blessing for me to watch her and to watch people engage and love on her as she continues to educate and bring the community together," Bush said.
In many ways, that was the story of the weekend. Across generations, women shared experiences, offered guidance, and created room for one another. The space Dozier built has allowed those connections to grow year after year, extending far beyond a single event.
As the celebration came to a close, Dozier reflected on the legacy that has grown from that first gathering.
"What we have experienced over these past three days isn't just an event," she told attendees. "It is a lifeline. It is a 20-year legacy of sisterhood."
Two decades later, A Call to Women of Color remains a reflection of that vision: women coming together to learn, connect, and invest in one another, ensuring the next generation has a community to welcome them.