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Connections
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.
Connections

What does it mean to live MLK's dream in 2026?

By Racquel Stephen,
Evan Dawson, Megan Mack, Julie Williams
Published January 7, 2026 at 5:28 PM EST
Four people wearing headphones sit at a table in a radio talk studio: a bald man front left is wearing glasses, a beige blazer, beige pants, and a grey turtleneck; a woman back left has long dark hair and is wearing a red and white short-sleeved shirt; a man back center has short dark hair, a grey goatee, and is wearing glasses, a lavender button-down shirt, purple tie, and grey blazer; a woman at right has short blonde hair and is wearing glasses, a bright blue dress, and tan knee-high boots.
George Yeadon
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WXXI News
(foreground) Kevin Spencer Beckford, (background) Tharaha Thavakumar and JD Jackson Jr. with guest host Racquel Stephen on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Wednesday, January 7, 2026
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
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WXXI News
Racquel Stephen guest hosting "Connections with Evan Dawson"

What does it mean to live Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream in 2026?

The seventh annual MLK Living the Dream series seeks to engage people across the community in conversations about racial equity, civic and human rights, and inclusion. This year's events include documentaries, a spoken word and open mic program, and more.

Organizers say that they hope to create connection during a time when there is so much division. Guest host Racquel Stephen talks with them about their work and their goals.

Our guests:

Connections
Racquel Stephen
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.
See stories by Racquel Stephen
Evan Dawson
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.
See stories by Evan Dawson
Megan Mack
Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.
See stories by Megan Mack
Julie Williams
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.
See stories by Julie Williams