Connections Podcast

Friday marks the first federal Juneteenth holiday in American history. President Joe Biden signed the legislation into law on Thursday. Despite it being originally celebrated in Texas in 1866, Juneteenth is still misunderstood. This hour, we discuss what Juneteenth is, how it is -- or should be -- taught, and we preview a local Juneteenth event. Our guests: Reverend Myra Brown , lead pastor at Spiritus Christi Church Mary Heveron-Smith, member of the Spiritus Christi Anti-Racism Coalition,

President Joe Biden met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday. Biden described the talks as “good, positive,” and while they discussed their disagreements, Biden says the conversation “was not done in a hyperbolic atmosphere.” Critics say Biden was too accommodating of Putin and shouldn’t have taken the meeting at all. We hear from University of Rochester professor Randy Stone, who weighs in on U.S.-Russia relations. Our guest: Randy Stone , director of the Skalny Center for Polish

University at Buffalo law professor Matthew Steilen made national headlines when he wrote about his decision to stop teaching the Dred Scott case in his classes. Steilen told the New Yorker that, as a white professor, he feels that the dehumanizing language used by the U.S. Supreme Court in the Dred Scott case is too painful to engage with in class, and is unfair to his Black students. But Black scholars have argued that the Dred Scott case is a vital document if we hope to understand the racist

Young adults are much less tolerant of bad bosses; of harassment; of what they perceive as unfairness in the workplace. They're living at home longer; they're getting married later or having kids later or not at all. Nora Bradbury-Haehl's latest book is "The Twenty-Something Handbook: Everything You Actually Need to Know About Real Life". She's the author of the "Freshman Survival Guide", aimed at new college students. Now she turns her attention to the first decade of adulthood. She's our guest

According to the Women of Color Network, approximately four out of every ten non-Hispanic Black women have experienced rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner. Racial disparities in economics, education, criminal justice – as well as cultural factors – contribute to those rates. They also lead to challenges when it comes to victims seeking and accessing support services. This hour, we discuss how racial disparities and social determinants affect rates of domestic violence

Rochester City Council will vote on the proposed budget on Tuesday. Before they do, several members discuss the budget on Connections: how much money for policing? How large of a police force? How much money for the Police Accountability Board? What about the Person In Crisis teams, social services, community building, and more? Our guests: Mary Lupien , member of Rochester City Council Jose Peo , member of Rochester City Council Brigit Hurley , senior director of advocacy and program for The

Founders of the Me2/Orchestra say it is the only classical music organization in the world created by and for people with mental illness and those who support them. The conductor, Ronald Braunstein, is an internationally renowned maestro who reinvented his career after struggling with his own mental health diagnosis. Now, the orchestra has branches in several cities around the world. The story of Me2/Orchestra is told in a documentary called "Orchestrating Change." It will be screened as part of

What does the future of dating look like? Researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara think they have an idea. A project at the Computational Mate Choice Lab at USCB involves uploading personalities and relationship ideas and then allowing simulated characters to play out their relationships in the virtual world. Assistant professor Daniel Conroy-Beam says what happens in that virtual space could predict what may happen with couples in real life. His goal, he says, is to help

NPR reports that there has been a "sharp, 'off the charts' rise in alcoholic liver disease among young women." Experts say pandemic stressors have led to a rise in drinking, and pop culture has validated drinking as a coping mechanism. Survival rates for alcoholic hepatitis and cirrhosis, which are types of alcoholic liver disease, can be as low as ten percent. This hour, we talk about the rise in the disease, the psychological components tied to it, and what experts say can help people

Local engineer Chris Thompson wrote this week about his experience with homelessness. He was a teenager in high school when he was pulled out of class and told that he and his mother were being evicted. Thompson writes that too often, society looks at someone and assumes they understand what that person has been through -- based on the look of their clothes or the way they act. His story of being without a permanent place to live holds lessons, and he joins us to discuss it. Our guest: Chris