Connections Podcast

Be honest: When you think of a family in poverty, or a single mother in poverty, is it easy to think that you've made some good decisions in your life, and if people in poverty made better decisions, they would be where you are? This hour, we explore how we understand -- or misunderstand -- poverty, and what we can do about it. Susan Dreyfus is the president and CEO of the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities. She's from Milwaukee, but she'll be in Rochester in the coming weeks to

It's the second Monday in October, and while many cities and states celebrate Columbus Day, others have officially changed the holiday to Indigenous Peoples' Day. There is a movement in cities across the nation to make such a change in an effort to celebrate Native Americans, their history, and their culture. Many people who support Indigenous Peoples' Day say we shouldn't celebrate Columbus -- a man who promoted slavery and was responsible for the genocide of Native Americans. Yet, some Italian

There's controversy in Henrietta, where Town Supervisor Jack Moore is being criticized for allegedly making racially-insensitive remarks. The EEOC investigated the complaints in late September and determined that several had merit. Now, some residents are calling for his resignation. Moore's supporters say the timing is political with the upcoming election, and members of the Henrietta Roadrunners Association Union say 82 percent of their group supports Moore. We discuss the complaints, how the

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: How we respond when we witness or hear about acts of violence, with Jeremy Richman, the father of a child killed in the Sandy Hook shooting; White advantage and microaggressions, with Debby Irving, author of Waking Up White ; The benefits and challenges of living without a car; The musical legacy and songwriting of Tom Petty.

The New York State Board of Regents named its "Teacher of the Year," and the winner is from our area. Christopher Albrecht is a fourth grade teacher in the Brockport Central School District. We talk to him about his career, and his thoughts on the future of education and the teaching profession.

Rock legend Tom Petty died on Monday, and this hour, we talk about his life and work. Petty has been acclaimed for his “rootsiness,” even though he performed in sold out arenas. His songs have been praised for being soaring and sad. How should we define Tom Petty's musical legacy? We listen to some of his music and discuss that question with our guests: John Covach , director of the Institute for Popular Music at the University of Rochester Dave Drago, producer and owner of 1809 Studios Saby

It may seem unusual to have conversations about preserving our water bodies after major weather events like hurricanes or the flooding on the Lake Ontario shoreline, but excessive runoff is a major source of pollution. It’s a problem in our area — one that the H2O Hero initiative hopes to combat. The program is celebrating its tenth anniversary, and this hour, we talk to the team behind it about its progress. Have the goals changed as a result of weather events? How do we prepare for future

How do Americans view the racial divide in this country? According to a new survey by the Pew Research Center, 58 percent of Americans say racism is a “big problem” in society. That’s up eight percentage points since 2015. But it leads to the question, why isn’t that number higher? Debby Irving is a white woman from New England who says she didn't fully understand the racial divide in this country until her adult life. Growing up in a wealthy Massachusetts family, she says she couldn’t see

The idea of walkable communities and multi-model lifestyles gets a lot of hype, but are we really getting rid of our cars? Many millennials say they are living without automobiles. We talk to one young woman, Sara Jenks, who says she got rid of her car more than two years ago. She says living without it has informed her view on Rochester as a city, how our community is structured, and how employers view employees who don't have cars. Jenks is our guest for the hour.

We have a discussion about a racist tweet written by a student at MCC. The student doesn't represent MCC, its student body, or its faculty, but he is part of the MCC community. The tweet raises a number of questions: What is free speech and what isn't? What is the responsibility of MCC or other institutions that have faced similar issues? If such issues are matters of free speech, do institutions have any power to act? Should they? Our guests weigh in. In studio: Anne M. Kress, president of MCC