12:00: What happened to environmental justice in the White House?
1:00: Actress Mimi Kennedy reflects on her Rochester roots
The Trump administration ended the White House Department of Environmental Justice, which was launched under the Biden administration. The new administration said that the concept of “environmental justice” falls under the umbrella of DEI initiatives, which it seeks to abolish. The former chief environmental justice officer for the Biden White House is in Rochester on Friday. We’re joined by Jalonne White-Newsome to discuss her views on what environmental justice is — and is not — and why she still thinks it matters. In studio:
- Jalonne White-Newsome, Ph.D., former federal chief environmental justice officer for the Biden White House, associate professor at the University of Michigan School of Environment and Sustainability, and CEO and founder of Empowering A Green Environment and Economy, LLC
- Katrina Korfmacher, Ph.D., faculty member in the UR Institute for Human Health and Environment
Then in our second hour, you may know her from her work on the CBS sitcom "Mom" and films like "Midnight in Paris," but you may not know that actress Mimi Kennedy got her start in Rochester. Kennedy is a Rochester native who performed with the Rochester Community Players (RCP) in Agatha Christie’s “Spider’s Web" when she was 12 years old. She'll be back in her hometown this weekend for an event marking 100 years of the RCP, but first, she joins us to discuss her path from home to Hollywood. Our guests:
- Mimi Kennedy, actor, author, and activist
- Karen Olson, historian for the Rochester Community Players
- Michael Krickmire, president of the Rochester Community Players
"Connections with Evan Dawson" is live streamed each day on the WXXI News YouTube channel. Watch here.
