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WXXI News

Coming up: WXXI at 60: Celebrating the past while looking to the future; The story of Rochester civil rights legend Constance Mitchell

By Evan Dawson, Megan Mack, Julie Williams

September 24, 2026 at 8:29 AM EDT

12:00: WXXI at 60: Celebrating the past while looking to the future

1:00: Special rebroadcast: The story of Rochester civil rights legend Constance Mitchell

WXXI is celebrating its 60th anniversary. We've been asking the community, "What do you want from your public media in the future?" We share some of the answers, along with stories from the history of public media in the Rochester/Finger Lakes region. In studio:
  • John Andres, Sunday morning host of WXXI Classical
  • Marianne Carberry, Saturday afternoon host of WXXI Classical, who has worked at the station since 1977
  • Cara Rager, director of early learning at WXXI Public Media
  • Chris Hastings, president and CEO of WXXI Public Media
Then in our second hour, our series on local history continues with a special rebroadcast about a children's book. "Constance Mitchell Stands Up" tells the story of one of Rochester's most notable activists. Illustrated by local artist Shawn Dunwoody and co-written by Leslie C. Youngblood, Walter Cooper, Shane Wiegand, and Mitchell's daughter, Constance Mitchell-Jefferson, the book tells Mitchell's story and highlights her pioneering civil rights work. Our guests talk about her life and the accomplishments that they believe everyone in our community should know. Our guests:
  • Constance Mitchell-Jefferson, Constance Mitchell's daughter and co-author of "Constance Mitchell Stands Up"
  • Leslie C. Youngblood, co-author of "Constance Mitchell Stands Up"
  • Shawn Dunwoody, artists and illustrator for "Constance Mitchell Stands Up"
  • Shane Wiegand, co-author of "Constance Mitchell Stands Up" and co-director of Our Local History
"Connections" is livestreamed each day on the WXXI News YouTube channel. Watch here.