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Connections

Local football coach Moe Jackson on his role both on and off the field

Five people wearing headphones sit at a table in a radio talk studio: a man at foreground is bald with a dark beard and is wearing a black jacket and jeans; a man at foreground right has short dark hair, a dark beard and is wearing a grey shirt with black sleeves and grey pants; a young man at background left has long curly hair and is wearing a black shirt; a young man at background right has short dark hair and is wearing a long-sleeved black polo shirt; a woman at center has short blonde hair and is wearing a green and white patterned dress.
David Griffin
/
WXXI News
(foreground) Maurice Rice and Moe Jackson, (background) Yariel Madina and Michael Rogers with guest host Racquel Stephen on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Tuesday, April 22, 2025
A smiling woman with short blonde hair sits at a desk in front of a microphone wearing a gold necklace and green and white patterned dress.
David Griffin
/
WXXI News
Racquel Stephen guest hosting "Connections with Evan Dawson"

Moe Jackson's football coaching career made headlines after he parted ways with Aquinas Institute in early March. Jackson led the football team to a Section V championship, but alleges that racial bias played a role in his termination.

Less than a month later, he was hired by Vertus High School, a predominantly Black all-boys charter school, to lead their young football program. While his role at Aquinas was bringing the storied program to victory, at Vertus, it's also about nurturing young Black men.

This hour guest host Racquel Stephen sits down with Coach Jackson to talk about his coaching philosophy, the value of mentorship, and what those relationships mean for both young people and the adults who support them.

Our guests:

Racquel Stephen is WXXI's health, equity and community reporter and producer. She holds a bachelor's degree in English literature from the University of Rochester and a master's degree in broadcasting and digital journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.
Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.
Veronica Volk is a senior producer and editor for WXXI News.
Julie Williams is an associate producer for "Connections with Evan Dawson" and is also the office administrator for radio, news and technology and operations. She started at WXXI in 2019 and has been working on Connections since 2022.