12:00: What does it mean to be a principled conservative in 2025?
1:00: 'In This Moment' series expands its reach
Political scientist Lauren Hall considers herself politically homeless, but she's spent a great deal of time exhuming the best components of conservatism, progressivism, and libertarianism. She recently wrote, "Before American conservatism is completely dead, I'd like to take some time to highlight what I have personally found valuable in principled conservative thought, what I think it contributes to our political dialogue and why losing these ideas would be a deep loss for us all." This hour, she joins us to share her concerns about the state of conservatism, and what happens in this country without strong conservatism. Our guest:
- Lauren Hall, Ph.D., author, professor of political science at RIT, and current Pluralism Fellow with the Mercatus Center’s Program on Pluralism and Civil Discourse
Then in our second hour, a local chapbook series is expanding its reach. The "In This Moment" series shares the life stories, experiences, and work of contemporary Black leaders from the Rochester region. The publishing team says a main goal of their books is to restore and repair historic narratives that would have been lost to time. Now, thanks to a partnership with local librarians and the Lunchador Podcast Network, "In This Moment" is available in audiobook form. This hour, we discuss the latest with the project, and we hear from two of the luminaries featured in the series. Our guests:
- Amanda Chestnut, co-founder, curator, and publisher of the "In This Moment" chapbook series
- Anita Cameron, Black disability justice activist
- Almeta Whitis, master storyteller, master teaching artist, award-winning educator, producer, director, writer, poet and community activist
- Chris Lindstrom, co-founder of the Lunchador Podcast Network
- Jim Byrne, adult services librarian for Pittsford Community Library
*Note: "Connections" is livestreamed each day on the WXXI News YouTube channel. Watch here.
