Connections Podcast

Weekend Connections is a collection of some of the most noteworthy moments from the week on Connections with Evan Dawson. This episode includes conversations about: Desegregating schools, with Carlotta Walls, one of the Little Rock Nine; Why victims choose to report or not to report sexual assaults; Homeless shaming; Battling addiction, with actress Marlee Matlin.

Sex trafficking is considered a public health crisis in our community. We take a look at how various organizations are trying to intervene to help victims. It's a preview of an upcoming conference at St. John Fisher College. Our guests also discuss which populations are most at risk for trafficking. In studio: Valerie Douglas, director of counseling and runaway and homeless youth services at The Center for Youth Celia McIntosh, chair of the Rochester Regional Coalition Against Human Trafficking

Carlotta Walls LaNier was 14 years old when she and eight other African American students walked through the doors of the formerly all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. The year was 1957 and the move was a test of the landmark Supreme Court decision, Brown v. Board of Education. Walls LaNier graduated from Central High after surviving verbal and physical attacks and a bombing of her home. She will be in Rochester next week as a guest of the YWCA for its Empowering Women

What would the U.S. Constitution look like today if it were created from scratch? An upcoming panel discussion hosted by the Rochester Public Library will explore that question. We'll preview the event with a conversation about how to address modern issues in a new constitution. Our guests: Tim Kneeland , professor and chair of the Department of History and Political Science at Nazareth College Adam Chodak , anchor and managing editor for WROC-TV Kent Gardner , principal and chief economist for

Oscar Award-winning actress Marlee Matlin will be the keynote speaker at East House's annual Hope and Recovery Luncheon in Rochester. We talk to Matlin about her own battle with substance abuse, and how we can help others. Matlin is now more than 30 years sober. Our guests: Marlee Matlin , Academy Award-winning actor, author, and activist Greg Soehner, president and CEO of East House Walter, individual who is living in recovery from addiction Sarah, individual who is living in recovery from

A man captured in a viral video shaving while on a public train in New Jersey said he was trying to look "presentable" to his brother after spending several days in a homeless shelter. The man was widely mocked for shaving in public, before his circumstances were revealed. Now his story is a cautionary tale about judgment and struggle. Our panelists share their own stories. Patrick Braswell, community member who was formerly homeless Cornell Davis, community member who was formerly homeless

The sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh have led to renewed conversations about the #MeToo movement. President Trump recently tweeted his belief that any person who is sexually assaulted will immediately report it to authorities. That led to the hashtag #WhyIDidntReport, with women across the country sharing why they chose not to talk to authorities when they were sexually assaulted or raped. This hour, we hear from local survivors who are sharing their

What makes a political ad effective? A recent ad endorsing Democrat David Brill for Congress in Arizona has gone viral. It features a series of testimonials from voters who say Brill’s opponent, Republican Congressman Paul Gosar, won’t work for his constituents. Here’s the catch: those voters are Gosar’s siblings. The ad has garnered a lot of attention, and is one of several that has sparked conversations about how to engage voters. This hour, our panel weighs in on political ads: what works,

St. John Fisher College has launched a new major: students can now graduate with a degree in sustainability. The program links the campus to the community in an effort to ignite conversations about sustainability across industries. We discuss the program, what it means to graduate with a sustainability degree, and how students can apply that knowledge after college. In studio: Michael Boller , Ph.D., associate professor in biology, and director of the sustainability program at St. John Fisher

The leader of a local nonprofit says her group is fixing a barrier that stands in the way of meaningful criminal reforms: a data gap. Measures for Justice President Amy Bach says America’s justice system needs better data to determine if the money spent on the system is effective in reducing crime and improving fairness. Bach joins us to discuss her research.