12:00: Danielle Ponder on her new song, 'Power'
1:00: Freedom Walk examines Rochester's role on the Underground Railroad
International music star and Rochester native Danielle Ponder is back in town. She'll headline the Rochester Juneteenth Festival on Saturday, where she'll perform her new song, "Power." Ponder has signed to Dead Oceans, in partnership with Phoebe Bridgers. She joins us on "Connections" this hour to discuss the new song and a trip to Senegal that inspired it, her craft, songwriting in the current moment, and more. Our guest:
- Danielle Ponder, singer-songwriter
Then in our second hour, Rochester was a noted stop on the Underground Railroad, and now, you can be part of an event retracing a route from Maryland to Canada. #FreedomWalk2026 is passing through Rochester this week. Participants making the 750-mile journey stop in various communities to collect narratives from the people who live there. In advance of Juneteenth — and on the 250th anniversary of American independence — our guests from Freedom Walk help us understand what we can learn about the history of abolition, Rochester's role in the fight for freedom, and what it all means in 2026. In studio:
- Anthony Cohen, historian and founder for Freedom Walk
- Judy Wellman, executive director of the 1816 Farmington Quaker Meetinghouse
- Norm Strothers, tour guide with AKWAABA: The Heritage Associates Inc.
- Christine L. Ridarsky, historian for Rochester and Monroe County
"Connections" is livestreamed each day on the WXXI News YouTube channel. Watch here.
