Bridging Philly

This week Flashpoint discusses the issues and challenges our country is facing with systemic racism, racial injustice and race relations. Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission's Executive Director, Chad Dion Lassiter, gives his expertise on ways we can combat these issues, and we hear from Frank Meeink, a former neo-Nazi white supremacist turned anti-racist activist on the racial progress he sees today, a year later, after the death of George Floyd.

Our Newsmaker of the week is executive director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania, Reggie Shuford, who hits on the racial progression in Philadelphia and what his organization is doing to keep up the fight for civil rights.

Lastly, the Philly Rising Changemaker of the week presented by Patriot Home Care highlights Cherise McGill, an African American woman blazing a trail of firsts in the food and beverage industry.

This week's episode of Flashpoint is dedicated to families who lost loved ones to gun violence. We're joined by two mothers who both experienced the loss of their sons. Dr. Dorothy Johnson-Speight, mother of Khalif Jabaar Johnson and co-founder of Mother’s In Charge, and Nydisha Williams, mother of Antonio Walker Jr. share their stories and how they’re recovering and creating change in their community.

Nydisha Williams is also highlighted as our Philly Rising Changemaker of the week presented by Patriot Homecare, sharing her new nonprofit in honor of her son, The Antonio Walker Jr Foundation.

This week's newsmaker has lost many loved ones to gun violence, however, continues to set his eyes on a bright future. Isaiah Harris is a 17 year old student. His mother says he narrowly escaped the pervasive street violence of North Philly, but found his way out on his own terms.

This week, Flashpoint tackles a topic that is sadly and often overlooked: teenage homelessness. We break down the number of homeless students in this city who are often undercounted both locally and nationally and what needs to be done to accurately count these teens. Porsha Burton, the community navigator of Youth Service Inc, shares her experience being a homeless teen while keeping her education a priority to working with youth today who are going through the same struggle. Anna Shaw-Amoah, Policy Associate of Research for Action gives us the statistics and solutions to help our youth experiencing homelessness.

This week's newsmaker is Shawnese Givens, Interim Executive Director of Attic Youth, serving homeless youth from the LGBTQ community giving them a safe space promoting youth development, acceptance, and support.

The Philly Rising Changemaker of the week presented by Patriot Homecare is Patrice Rogers, a Philly local taking vacant spots in Kensington, cleaning up needles, and turning these lots into clean green spaces.

This week Flashpoint tackles the impact of our changing climate. With hotter summers, rising sea levels, and poor air quality, climate change is affecting our day to day lives, public health and economy. NBC10 Meteorologist Steve Sosna and PennEnvrionment Field Director Flora Cardoni share their expertise on combating the threat of climate change.

The Flashpoint Newsmaker segment features U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh and local renewable energy advocate Phyllis Blumberg, who speak on the infrastructure bill and the investment in renewable energy and jobs and how Philadelphians can benefit from this industry.

The Philly Rising Changemaker of the week presented by Patriot Homecare honors Sankofa Community Farm in Bartram’s Garden, a local community garden cultivating African farming traditions and passing them on to Black generations of the future.

This week Flashpoint discusses the Generational wealth gap and what it means for the Black community. Black Business Leadership Coalition President John Childress and CEO and Founder of Beech Companies, Ken Scott, share their perspectives and what stakeholders are doing to bridge this gap.  

This week's newsmaker is Register of Wills, Tracey Gordon, is using pop culture to inform locals on estate planning while promoting positive conversations involving wills through her office's new online video series, "The Register Reacts." 

The Philly Rising Changemaker of the week presented by Patriot Homecare is Crystal Evans, founder of Money Talks, a local non-profit dedicated to promoting urban issues, host financial discussions, provide resources and personal finance tips to Philadelphia youth.

The Philadelphia Department of Public Health reported that 2020 saw the highest deaths by opioid overdose that Philadelphia has experienced since 2017. PDHP noted that in 2020, overdoes death rates among white people dropped by 10%, but increased by 29% among those in communities of color. This week on Flashpoint, we discuss how the pandemic had a disproportionate impact on people of color, and why the surge of deaths were likely made worse by the effects of the pandemic. Clayton Ruley, Prevention Point Philadelphia's Director of Community Engagement and Shannon Ashe, Harm Reduction Worker share their efforts in bringing awareness and help to communities of color.

This week's Newsmaker is Brooke Feldman, a local community organizer and advocate surrounding issues of drug user health, addiction and recovery. After spending years in recovery herself, She is now widely known across Philadelphia as a voice for social justice and an advocate for the improvement of the healthcare system.

The Philly Rising Changemaker of the week presented by Patriot Homecare is Moor Ali El of Urban creators, one of several local organizations working with the city to prevent overdoses in communities of color, and on a mission to train community members in harm reduction so they can carry on the mission throughout the neighborhood.

Flashpoint is sponsored by the Gift of Life Donor Program.

This week, Flashpoint discusses Juneteenth becoming a federal holiday. What does this mean for African Americans, and how did 2020’s racial reckoning play a role in Juneteenth's emergence in American society? KYW’s Shara Dae Howard speaks with Vashti Dubois, founder of The Colored Girls Museum in Germantown.

It’s also Father’s Day weekend, and our panel talks about effective tools and strategies to champion Black fatherhood and promote the importance of men and dads taking care of their mental health. Joel Austin, the founder of Daddy University, Chimere Holmes of Be Ye Renewed Counseling, and Ihsan Hines of My Brother’s Keeper Cares share their perspectives and experiences with Black fatherhood.

The Philly Rising Changemaker of the week presented by Patriot Homecare is Black Men Heal, a local organization on a mission to provide access to mental health, education, and community resources to men of color, and remove the stigma surrounding Black men and their mental health.

Flashpoint is sponsored by the Gift of Life Donor Program.

Is there a worker shortage? Or do folks just not want to work? This week's Flashpoint host and KYW Newsradio reporter Antionette Lee dives into the speculation as the jobs are coming back, but the workers are hard to find. Andrea Custis, President and CEO of the Urban League of Philadelphia and Michael Smi Robinson, Director of Community Outreach and Hiring for Temple University's Lenfest North Philadelphia Workforce Initiative discuss the challenges keeping people out of the workforce and what businesses are doing to get job seekers and employers through the door. 

This week's Newsmaker highlights Desiree' LaMarr-Murphy, a West Philadelphia native and lifetime educator. She’s also the founder of Murphy's Giving Markets, a community food pantry that gained national recognition as she fed hundreds of families from her own front porch during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Philly Rising Changemaker of the week presented by Patriot Homecare is Abena Timazee of Feng Shui Naturals, who pivoted her business during the pandemic to launch a 'first of its kind' eco-friendly- beauty truck, advocating the need for a more natural lifestyle and the use of natural products.

Flashpoint is sponsored by the Gift of Life Donor Program.

Violence against the trans community is being called a national crisis. In Pennsylvania, the Human Rights Commission says lawmakers are ignoring bills that would help protect the LGBTQ community. This week, LGBTQ advocate Kendall Stephens describes the reality of the violence and hate facing transgender people of color, and Pennsylvania Director of the Human Rights Campaign Ryan Matthews explains why lawmakers in Harrisburg haven't made progress passing laws to fight violence against trans people.

Flashpoint's newsmaker is Claudia Haddad, a voice of hope in the Philly trans community with the message that it's never too late to be yourself.

And in the Philly Rising changemaker of the week presented by Patriot Homecare, Flashpoint opens the doors of the Valley Youth House, an organization dedicated to assisting kids who are rejected by their families and left with nowhere else to go. Flashpoint is sponsored by the Gift of Life Donor Program.

With violent crime surging, an election some thought might be a reckoning turned out as a resounding win for Philly District Attorney Larry Krasner over his primary challenger, former homicide prosecutor Carlos Vega. So what comes next? How does the city balance safety and fairness? And what does DA Krasner make of opponent in the general election?

And with the city on pace for a record number of murders, advocates are asking what the next step is for public safety. Reuben Jones, Executive Director of Frontline Dads and Julio Moran Jr., whose mother was murdered by her ex-husband, talk about the violence crisis in Philadelphia, the violence prevention work being done, and what the outcome of the District Attorney election means for the city.

The Philly Rising Changemaker of the week presented by Patriot Homecare is Phyllis Walker, who for decades has been working with her neighbors to improve her neighborhood from block cleanups to community watch programs.