Clarissa Uprooted depicts the Third Ward as a microcosm of Rochester’s—and many northern US cities’—history

From neighborhood camaraderie, international jazz music, and thriving black-owned businesses, to redlining, urban renewal, and other racist policies. The film features some of the elders who lived this history and the youth who are living with the consequences today.

View the trailer below.

View The Full Film

Watch Clarissa Uprooted: Youth and Elders Uncover the Story of Black Rochester documentary independently, or with your community.

To view our full documentary or screen it with a group, we ask that you fill out our interest form. This helps us understand what communities our documentary is reaching. The link below will re-direct you to a Google Form, and you will automatically receive an email with a link to view the full film.

Thank You to Our Sponsors!

Clarissa Uprooted has won national awards at the following film festivals

What are viewers saying?

“Incredible! You have made this story very understandable.”

“I’d heard and even read about the uprooting and the horrible things the 490/Inner Loop project caused – but I’d never heard such personal, relatable stories or put faces and names to the repercussions and that experience was incredibly powerful.”

“Clarissa Uprooted is a vibrant, educational film and must-see for students in the Rochester area suburbs… From the voices of the elders connecting to students, to the enlightening Rochester history the film exposed powerful truths of a community uprooted… Clarissa Uprooted provided a powerful new lens for discussions related to the repercussions of policies that have suppressed Black and Brown communities in Rochester.”

–Anne Missel

Pittsford-Sutherland High School learning specialist and Roc2Change advisor

“I loved that it was a multigenerational presentation of a multigenerational project and how it really centered youth as both the present and the future who must know and own their history to succeed.”

“One of the finest examples of urban education I have seen.”