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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

Reclaiming the 'hood'

By Racquel Stephen,
Megan Mack, Julie Williams
Published June 24, 2026 at 3:33 PM EDT
Six people surround a table in a radio talk studio: a man front left is wearing a black baseball cap, an orange and black polo shirt, black pants and black sneakers; a man front center has very short dark hair, a dark goatee and is wearing headphones, a white t-shirt, black shorts and black sneakers; a woman front right has very short blonde hair and is wearing glasses, a black turtleneck, blue jeans and strappy black heels; a man back left is wearing a black baseball cap and a black t-shirt with colorful writing; a man back center has a dark beard and is wearing a beige bucket hat, white t-shirt and blue jeans; a man back right has short dark hair and is wearing a black blazer over a black shirt.
George Yeadon
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WXXI News
(foreground) Norman Simmons and Jamie Anderson, (background) David "D-Will" Williams, Jeremy Hart and Raheen Gayden with guest host Racquel Stephen on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Wednesday, June 24, 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"

This year marks the second season for the Hood 2 Hood Basketball Tournament. Every Sunday for the duration of the summer, neighborhood teams will meet at Gateway Park on Mt. Hope Avenue to compete for a trophy—and bragging rights.

Organizers say the tournament is about bringing men together, from all sides of town, who might not usually get along. They say the tournament fosters peace, unity and brotherhood.

Racquel Stephen guest hosts "Connections" this hour and will lead a discussion on how initiatives like Hood 2 Hood help reduce violence in the community and what more of a role civilians can play in cutting crime.

In studio:

  • Jamie Anderson, co-founder of the Hood2Hood Basketball Tournament
  • Raheen Gayden, founder of Guns Down Gloves Up
  • Norman Simmons, community organizer
  • David "D-Will" Williams, founder of Church In The Wild

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
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