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Connections

Discussing refugee resettlement in Utica

Getachew Bashir on "Connections."
Megan Mack
/
WXXI News
Getachew Bashir appears on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Tuesday, October 18, 2022.

An upstate city has made national news as "the town that loves refugees." Utica has resettled close to 17,000 people from more than 40 countries. That was according to the Democrat and Chronicle in January. A documentary called "Utica: The Last Refuge" explores refugee resettlement in the city. It will be screened at the Little Theatre on Monday.

This hour, we preview the film, we hear one family's remarkable story, and we discuss the state of refugee resettlement in the current political and social climate. Our guests:

  • Loch Phillips, director of "Utica: The Last Refuge"
  • Shelly Callahan, executive director of Mohawk Valley Refugee Resource Center in Utica
  • Tatjana Kulalic, refugee from Bosnia who now lives and works in Utica
  • Getachew Bashir, director of the refugee program for Catholic Charities Family and Community Services in Rochester
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.
Emmarae Stein is the production assistant for "Connections with Evan Dawson."