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Connections

"Remaining Native": the challenge for native families who experienced Indian boarding schools

Three people wearing headphones sit at a table in a radio talk studio: a woman at left has long brown hair and is wearing a denim shirt; a man at center is wearing a grey baseball cap and brown plaid shirt; a man at right has short dark hair and is wearing a red, white and blue plaid button-down shirt.
Julie Williams
/
WXXI News
Paige Bethmann and Ansley Jemison with host Evan Dawson on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Monday, September 8, 2025
A smiling man with short dark hair wearing a blue button-down shirt and a grey blazer. He is holding a pair of eyeglasses. The word "Connections" appears on the left side of the photo in vertical letters.
WXXI News

The Little Theatre's One Take Documentary series will feature "Remaining Native" on Wednesday and Saturday this week.

The film is a coming-of-age documentary told from the perspective of a 17-year-old Native American runner. Ku Stevens has a dream of becoming a high-level collegiate athlete, but as Ku ages, he confronts his own great-grandfather's escape from Indian boarding school.

We'll talk to the filmmaker, who is originally from Rochester and attended Ithaca College.

In studio:

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.
Elissa Orlando is a producer for “Connections with Evan Dawson.” She returns part-time to WXXI News after stepping back from a long career in public media and in translational science.
Julie Williams is an associate producer for "Connections with Evan Dawson." She started at WXXI in 2019 and has been working on Connections since 2022.