Christopher Grooms wears many hats — tour guide, interpreter and historian — but in every role, he strives to make a difference in the community.
When you’re not seeing him working as a sign language interpreter, you will probably catch him giving a tour at Mount Hope Cemetery retelling the history of a notable figure.
Grooms grew up in Portland, Oregon, and lived in Seattle and Houston before making his way to Rochester, where he has lived for nine years.
Grooms was drawn to the many outdoor activities that Rochester had to offer as well as the city’s art scene and its rich history. He was also aware of Rochester’s large deaf population and saw an opportunity to use his sign language interpreting skills.
A tour that changed his future
Before moving to Rochester, Grooms and his partner came for a visit in August 2016 and booked a tour at Mount Hope Cemetery and he recalled a woman named Joanne Mitchell being the tour guide.
“She just gave this wonderful tour and highlighted some of the people that are interred here and really expanded on Rochester’s history, she was just so dynamic. I just absolutely loved it,” Grooms said. “When we left, I told my partner, ‘If we move here, that’s what I want to do. I want to be Joanne Mitchell.’ When I started training as a tour guide, Joanne became my mentor.”
Why local history still matters
Being a tour guide is a gratifying experience for Grooms. Not only does he have a love for history and storytelling but also he enjoys the conversations he has with people and that moment when someone learns about a piece of history they never knew about.
Now, more than ever, it is extremely important, especially for young people, to learn and understand history, he said.
“If you think of people like Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony and their work within the civil rights realm and their successes, I think that those stories need to be told so that young people can say, ‘Oh look, I as an individual can make a difference, I can affect change. I can change something that is not right and not fair,’” Grooms said.
He also highlighted the technological scientific achievements that started in Rochester and how that history could inspire new inventions and leaders.
“With Bausch and Lomb here, Xerox, Eastman Kodak and so forth, all of those technological achievements, I think it’s just very important for, again, our young people to know that they can aspire to be somebody who comes up with something new, some new invention that really changes people’s lives.”
— Kerria Weaver works as the Government and You reporter for the Democrat and Chronicle, with a focus on how government actions affect communities and neighborhoods in Rochester and in Monroe County.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Rochester tour guide brings local history to life
Reporting by Kerria Weaver, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Kerria Weaver, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle | USA TODAY Network
