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VOA presents “Americans With No Address” • The Little Theatre

Join Volunteers of America for a screening of this film that follows a group of homeless people as they struggle to survive on the streets against a harassing gang, an unforgiving community, and the local authorities.

VOA presents “Americans With No Address” on Wednesday, April 30 at 5:30 p.m. at The Little Theatre (240 East Avenue).

The cast and producers of the feature film No Address, a movie about a group of individuals who fall into homelessness, toured America to learn firsthand why there is a growing homelessness crisis in America. The team set out on a cross-country bus tour over a span of three weeks, visiting 20 major cities across 18 states with the mission to understand both the human experience and governmental policies while meeting the advocates who work to offer solutions, revealing some surprising truths.​ The documentary aims to answer crucial questions: Why is homelessness happening? What are different cities doing about it? What strategies are working, and what are not?

The film will be followed by a panel discussion, moderated by WXXI News’ Evan Dawson, host of “Connections with Evan Dawson.”

Panelists include:

  • Dr. Junior Dillion, President and CEO, Volunteers of America Upstate New York
  • Tree Clemonds, Executive Director, Continuum of Care
  • Dr. Mike Hudson, CEO, Regional Health Reach
  • Melanie Murphy, Psychiatric NP, Delphi Rise
Purchase your $10 ticket here.

Seeing History: A Conversation about Visual Storytelling • MCC, Warshof Conference Center

Join WXXI News and local “Morning Edition” host Beth Adams as she interviews Lynn Novick, director and producer of “The U.S. and the Holocaust.”

“From 1933 to 1945, the United States admitted 225,000 refugees from Nazi terror – more than any other Sovereign nation took in – but that was just a fraction of the people who were trying to escape. Despite our ultimate victory on the battlefield, our response to Nazism was hindered by our own fears and prejudices, an indictment that points blame at no single group or individual but should give all of us a reason to reflect on our collective responsibility and what we might do differently in the future.”

Details:
Seeing History: A live interview with Lynn Novick director and producer of The U.S. and the Holocaust
Thursday, April 24 at 12 p.m.
MCC, Warshof Conference Center, 3-205 Monroe B

The event is free and open to the public but reservations are required.

Click here to reserve your FREE seat

The U.S. and the Holocaust • WXXI-TV

The U.S. and the Holocaust airs Sunday, April 6- at 1 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

Combining the first-person accounts of Holocaust witnesses and survivors and interviews with leading historians and writers, The U.S. and the Holocaust dispels competing myths that Americans either were ignorant of the unspeakable persecution that Jews and other targeted minorities faced in Europe or that they looked on with callous indifference. The film tackles a range of questions that remain essential to our society today, including how racism influences policies related to immigration and refugees as well as how governments and people respond to the rise of authoritarian states that manipulate history and facts to consolidate power.

The final episode “The Homeless, Tempest-Tossed (1942 — )”: A group of government officials supports rescue operations; the public sees for the first time the scale of the Holocaust as Allies liberate German camps.

Click here to about the Lynn Novik event.

Independent Lens “Home Court” • On-Demand

This film traces the ascent of Cambodian American teenager Ashley Chea, a basketball prodigy whose life intensifies amid college recruitment, injury, and triumph.

 Independent Lens “Home Court” is available on-demand above through 6/22/25 and on the PBS App.

Filmed over three years of Ashley’s high school career, ”Home Court” is a coming-of-age story that relays the highs and lows of her immigrant family, surmounting racial and class differences, and personal trials that include a devastating knee injury.  

The film opens in Ashley’s sophomore year of high school. She shuttles between her home in a lower-income neighborhood in Los Angeles and her private school, Flintridge Prep, while traveling to youth basketball tournaments and visiting colleges around the country. Ashley’s parents work long hours at their donut shop, so her coach, Jayme Kiyomura Chan, steps in where they cannot. 

With the pressure of being one of the top basketball recruits in the country, tensions rise as Ashley navigates college offers and her family’s input. Meanwhile, she grapples with the task of leading her high school team, as well as being a leader in her community and the mounting responsibility to represent her culture. The film culminates in the bittersweet moments of Ashley leaving for college with her family.

Mystery League Videos, Games & Activities

Watch a new mystery series for 3-5 graders from PBS KIDS and Arkansas PBS: Mystery League

Mystery League” is a new live-action series that teaches kids in kindergarten through second grades about friendship and community. This series features three fifth-grade detectives – Millie, Mike and Marta – as they solve the never-ending mysteries of the fictional small Arkansas town of Mulberry Springs. Each episode features relevant storylines that encourage Arkansas kids to problem solve and build relationships. To play games, download learning resources and learn more, visit https://myarpbs.org/mysteryleague.

Where to Watch:

American Experience “Change, Not Charity: The Americans with Disability Act” • On-Demand

Tells the emotional and dramatic story of the decades-long push for equality and accessibility that culminated in the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990. 

American Experience “Change, Not Charity: The Americans with Disability Act” on the PBS app. The on-demand film is available with Audio Description, Closed-Captioning and ASL versions. The film is available on-demand through 8/1/25

While curb cuts, ramps at building entrances, and braille on elevator buttons seem commonplace today, they were once the subject of a pitched battle that landed on the steps of Congress. Told through the voices of key participants and witnesses, the film highlights the determined people who literally put their bodies on the line to achieve their goal and change the lives of all Americans. A story of courage and perseverance, the film brings to life one of the great civil rights movements in American history, where ordinary people made their voices heard and Congress responded. A testament to the power of coalition building and bipartisan compromise, the passage of the ADA is a shining example of democracy in action. 

This film is presented as part of Move to IncludeTM, an award-winning national initiative to promote disability inclusion, representation, and accessibility in public media.

WXXI belongs to this community – A message from WXXI President & CEO Chris Hastings

Dear Friends,


WXXI belongs to this community — not to shareholders, not to advertisers, but to you. 

As the country faces growing polarization and public institutions are increasingly under attack, public media is once again being targeted.  

As the hearings in Washington DC demonstrated, federal funding for public broadcasting is at risk, and efforts to defund our work are gaining momentum. These threats are not theoretical — they are strategic, coordinated, and real. 

This is not the first time we’ve faced this kind of pressure. But this time, the stakes feel higher. 

I joined WXXI six months ago because I believe in the power of public media to inform, educate, and reflect the full diversity of American life. That belief has only deepened since arriving in Rochester. I’ve met students who rely on our PBS educational programming, listeners who count on WXXI News for trusted local reporting, and artists who see and hear their work and culture reflected in our storytelling and live concerts. 

None of that happens without public investment — and without you. 

When federal support is threatened, it puts everything we do at risk: our journalism, our arts and culture coverage, our educational outreach, and our ability to serve every household, regardless of zip code or income level. 

So I’m asking you to do what our community has always done: stand up for WXXI. 

• Contact your elected representatives and tell them public media matters. 

• Spread the word about what WXXI means to you. Share your story with us here, or share it on social media using #protectWXXI.

• And if you’re able, make a contribution to help sustain our work here in this region.  

At a time when facts are under attack and division is used as a political tool, public media continues to hold the line. We’re here to inform, not inflame. To reflect, not reduce. To connect, not divide. 

Let’s keep it that way — together. 

With resolve 

Chris Hastings 
President & CEO
WXXI Public Media 

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