12:00: Special rebroadcast — Following the deadly beating of Robert Brooks Sr., prison reform advocates renew calls for change
1:00: Special rebroadcast — A local leader's "life-changing" trip to Ghana
We bring you special rebroadcasts today on "Connections with Evan Dawson."
In our first hour, body-cam video shows prison guards in an upstate facility beating a 43-year-old man to death on December 9. It happened at the Marcy Correctional Facility, a prison near Utica. Robert Brooks Sr. died after the extended beating, and his family wants answers. Governor Hochul has ordered an investigation. But reform advocates have been calling for change since long before this death. Our guests in this special rebroadcast are a husband-and-wife team who share their ideas for how to make the justice system more just. Thomas Gant served 25 years for murder and wants to use what he has learned during his incarceration to help others. Our guests:
- Thomas Gant, community organizer for the Center for Community Alternatives
- Kerry Gant, board member for the Center for Community Alternatives, and community advocate
Then in our second hour, Shaun Nelms has been a school superintendent, a member of numerous local boards (including WXXI), and the author of a book about leadership. One of his life goals was to take his children to Ghana — to see the beauty, and also to see the "slave castles," which served as the final stopping point before thousands of Africans were sent across the ocean, never to return. Nelms has returned an evangelist for this kind of experiential travel. He joins us during this special rebroadcast to share the range of emotions he experienced. Our guests:
- Shaun Nelms, professor and William & Sheila Konar director of the Center for Urban Education Success at the Warner School of Education, and vice president of community partnerships at the University of Rochester; and author of "Leading with Purpose"
- Ajoua Jackson, owner of AJ Excursions
*Note: You can watch recorded video streams of these conversations on the WXXI News YouTube page by clicking the episode links provided above.
