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Connections

Coming up on Connections: Wednesday, February 5

First hour: Discussing progress with the "Let's Get REAL" initiative

Second hour: Analyzing the state of affairs in Venezuela

The City of Rochester is reporting progress on its “Let’s Get REAL: Race, Equity, and Leadership” initiative. The project provides direction for improving equity in Rochester and other participating communities. Over the last year, the initiative’s team hosted workshops, seminars, and training sessions for City of Rochester employees, who joined open discussions about race. In a survey, some participants shared that they were confused about the differences between race, racial equity, diversity, and inclusion; that they sometimes or rarely set aside their own discomfort to discuss race; and that more engagement with the Hispanic and Latino community is needed at City Hall. This hour, we discuss what the REAL team has learned after its first year of work, and how the findings will be applied to action plans for 2020. In studio:

  • Willie Joe Lightfoot, vice president of Rochester City Council
  • Tina Foster, executive director of Volunteer Legal Services of Monroe County
  • Hank Rubin, founding director of the Frederick Douglass Center for Collaborative Leadership, a program of Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives

Last night, President Trump welcomed Juan Guaido of Venezuela as a guest during the State of the Union address. Republicans and Democrats applauded when Trump described Guiado as the legitimate leader of Venezuela, which has been rocked by scandals and a humanitarian crisis. The Rochester Committee on Latin America is turning its attention to Venezuela this week, along with their concerns about the impact of US foreign policy. We discuss the state of affairs for one of Latin America’s most precarious states. Our guests:

  • Donald Kingsbury, lecturer in political science and Latin American studies, and interim director of the Munk One Program at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto
  • Vic Vinkey, member of ROCLA
  • Noelle Evans, reporter for WXXI News

Connections
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.