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Connections

Author Brit Bennett on her acclaimed book, “The Vanishing Half”

Three people wearing headphones sit at a table in a radio talk studio: a woman at left has short brown hair and is wearing glasses, a black cardigan sweater and white shirt; a woman at center has shoulder-length brown hair and is wearing a white blazer over a white shirt; a man at right has very short dark hair and is wearing a blue button-down shirt, blue jeans and brown shoes.
David Griffin
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WXXI News
Nancy Klotz and Norma Holland with host Evan Dawson on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Tuesday, April 14, 2026
WXXI News

Twin sisters — light-skinned African Americans — eventually split and live very different lives: one, as a Black woman; the other, choosing a life as a white woman.

Bennett’s book follows their stories across generations.

She'll be in Rochester next week for an event with the Rochester Speaker Series, but first, she joins us on "Connections" to discuss themes of identity, passing, and self-acceptance.

Our guests:

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.
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.