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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

Freedom Walk examines Rochester's role on the Underground Railroad

By Evan Dawson,
Megan Mack, Julie Williams
Published June 18, 2026 at 2:38 PM EDT
Five people wearing headphones sit at a table in a radio talk studio: a woman front left has short grey hair and is wearing glasses on the top of her head, a black quilted jacket, black shirt and black pants; a man front right has short grey hair, a grey beard and is wearing glasses, a black polo shirt, black shorts and grey sneakers; a bald man back left is wearing a black blazer over a black t-shirt with white photos; a woman back right has short blonde hair and is wearing a light blue button-down shirt and lanyard over a black shirt; a man at center has very short dark hair and is wearing eyeglasses, a blue button-down shirt, blue jeans and sneakers.
Julie Williams
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WXXI News
(foreground) Judy Wellman and Anthony Cohen, (background) Norm Strothers and Christine L. Ridarsky with host Evan Dawson on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Thursday, June 18, 2026
WXXI News

Rochester was a noted stop on the Underground Railroad, and now, you can be part of an event retracing a route from Maryland to Canada.

#FreedomWalk2026 is passing through Rochester this week. Participants making the 750-mile journey stop in various communities to collect narratives from the people who live there.

In advance of Juneteenth — and on the 250th anniversary of American independence — our guests from Freedom Walk help us understand what we can learn about the history of abolition, Rochester's role in the fight for freedom, and what it all means in 2026.

In studio:

Connections
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