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Connections: Should the City of Rochester change its name?

The Democrat and Chronicle's Justin Murphy wrote a detailed story about the history of the founders of Rochester and surrounding towns. As Murphy reports, historians have used historical documents to confirm that Nathaniel Rochester enslaved people and was not the abolitionist that some of the city's lore has suggested. As a result, activists have debated whether to strip the name of Rochester and other racist founders off of parks, buildings, and even the city itself.

Our guests discuss it:

  • Justin Murphy, education reporter for the Democrat and Chronicle
  • Bill Johnson, former mayor of the City of Rochester
  • Justin Behrend, professor and department chair of history at SUNY Geneseo
  • Victoria Schmitt, local historian

Evan Dawson is the host of "Connections with Evan Dawson." He joined WXXI in January 2014 after working at 13WHAM-TV, where he served as morning news anchor. He was hired as a reporter for 13WHAM-TV in 2003 before being promoted to anchor in 2007.
Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.