They are, however, strongholds of residential segregation. These lily white enclaves aren't bastions of racism. Mostly, though, they've met with disdain. Nearly 200 people rallied in Pittsford village last weekend to decry the messages, and social media condemnation of the latest leaflets dropped in Brighton this week was swift.

They must find a few takers here and there, otherwise they wouldn't keep hitting such similar neighborhoods. Indeed, the White Rochester website advises its 'volunteers' to 'only distribute fliers in locales you reasonably believe to be predominantly 'European-White.' There is no useful purpose … to distribute fliers elsewhere.' The messengers must believe those of us marinating in our homogeneity have done something right and will lend them a sympathetic ear. At 94 percent white, though, Fairport makes the rest look like the United Nations by comparison. All the eastern suburbs have similar demographics. Pittsford, for instance, is 86 percent white, according to census data. They must be talking specifically about the city of Rochester, which is mostly non-white, rather than the collective greater Rochester because the suburbs where they're recruiting for the whitening effort can't get much whiter. Their message consists of a strip of white paper - of course it's white - that encourages recipients to visit their website,, which describes itself as 'an incipient initiative that aims to Make Rochester Great Again, by making Rochester Whiter.' The hate mongers have hit Pittsford and Brighton neighborhoods that are super white, suggesting their target audience is people of no color like me and almost everyone else in Fairport. Not that my white privilege makes me privy to their circulation schedule, which is literally fly-by-night. Watch Video: WATCH: Pittsford community walks to combat racismĪs a lifelong white person residing in Rochester's whitest suburb, I expect the racists who are distributing messages of white supremacy in our area to visit my street in Fairport soon.

Target This by Lily White