12:00: RCSD Board members explain their vote on new superintendent, part 1
1:00: Religion in American government: its role and history
Rochester City School Board Commissioners Beatriz LeBron and Isaiah Santiago join us to discuss their concerns with the board's selection of a new superintendent. The board voted not to make permanent the interim superintendent with district experience. Instead, the board hired Eric Jay Rosser, Ph.D., who comes to Rochester from Poughkeepsie. Santiago also discusses the allegations that he used a racial slur in an argument with fellow commissioner James Patterson, who has petitioned the state to have Santiago removed from the board. This is the first in a series of upcoming conversations about the district. In studio:
- Beatriz LeBron, Rochester City School Board commissioner
- Isaiah Santiago, Rochester City School Board commissioner
Then in our second hour, historian Spencer McBride says it is an American tradition: religion is used as a political or cultural cudgel. Politicians claim the mantle of godliness, while also claiming that their opponents are devoid of faith. If it seems especially sharp today, McBride says that 2025 has plenty in common with past American eras. McBride is the author of several books, including a book about Western New York's religious and social upheaval from 1790 to 1860. He'll be a guest of the Rochester Historical Society, but first, he joins us on "Connections." Our guests:
- Spencer McBride, Ph.D., historian, author, podcaster, and associate managing historian of the Joseph Smith Papers Project
- Michael Oberg, Ph.D., distinguished professor of history at SUNY Geneseo
*Note: "Connections" is livestreamed each day on the WXXI News YouTube channel. Watch here.
