Attorney Michael Coard joined Evening WURDs after the National Park Service removed the President’s House slavery memorial in Philadelphia. Coard outlined a lawsuit against the federal government and emphasized the site’s historic significance as the first federal slavery memorial—warning that further dismantling could follow without public and legal pressure.

University of Texas law professor Mechele Dickerson joined Solutions with Amadee Braxton to discuss her book The Middle-Class New Deal: Restoring Upward Mobility and the American Dream. She detailed how rising education and housing costs, “domestic outsourcing,” and gig work erode economic stability, and outlined proposals to rebuild upward mobility through schools-as-hubs, job benefits reform, and zoning changes.

Civil rights attorney and past Minneapolis NAACP President Nekima Levy Armstrong joined Evening WURDs with Dr. James Peterson to share details of ICE abuses of Minnesotans, including Black U.S. citizens. She also discussed her participation in a church protest, for which she was arrested by federal agents the day after her interview on WURD. 

Week on WURD
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Jeff Jones, a national award–winning organizer and social impact strategist from Germantown, joined Evening WURDs to talk about reimagining public safety in Philadelphia beyond traditional policing. Drawing on more than two decades of grassroots work, he discussed community-centered approaches rooted in education, sustainability, and economic opportunity, arguing that long-term safety comes from investment rather than punishment.

Zoe Reid, a reporter for WHYY, joined Wake Up With WURD to explain upcoming federal changes to SNAP benefits that could affect roughly 140,000 Pennsylvanians, including tens of thousands of Philadelphians. She walked through new work requirements, how exemptions function, and why older adults, people with disabilities, and those with unstable employment may face increased barriers — even if they technically still qualify for assistance.

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner joined Evening WURDs for a wide-ranging conversation on crime, public safety, and political accountability. He pushed back on claims that Republican-led states are tougher on crime, pointing instead to structural factors like education and economic investment. Krasner also addressed the broader political climate, making clear that Philadelphia will not shy away from confronting authoritarian threats.

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The Year on WURD is a one-hour recap of the conversations that shaped 2025 — featuring powerful interviews, timely analysis, and moments that helped listeners make sense of a challenging year.

From national politics and democracy to local accountability, justice, business, culture, and community, this special brings together voices from across WURD Radio’s programming. These are the conversations that informed, challenged, and grounded us — and reminded us why independent Black media matters.

If you want to go deeper, you can listen to the full, unedited interviews featured in this special at wurdradio.com/yearinreview.

If after listening to the podcast, you realize the value of these conversations and of independent black media, consider making a contribution so we can keep doing this work. Go to wurdradio.com/support.

Thank you for listening — and for supporting WURD Radio.

Week on WURD
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Film critic Tim Gordon joined Wake Up With WURD with Solomon Jones to unpack the shifting media landscape driven by a high-stakes bidding war between Paramount and Netflix over Warner Bros. Discovery. Gordon examined how growing media consolidation increases political influence, limits creative independence, and ultimately harms consumers and media integrity.

Leigh Owens, education and advocacy director at the Pennsylvania Prison Society, joined Evening WURDs with Dr. James Peterson to address the humanitarian consequences of mass incarceration. Owens discussed the aging prison population, referenced the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal, and underscored how incarceration separates families. He also highlighted the Society’s low-cost transportation program, which helps families maintain vital connections during the holiday season.

Christopher “Flood the Drummer” Norris, chief strategy and program officer at StoryCorps, joined ecoWURD Magazine with P.O.C. to explore the expanding digital divide, particularly for older Philadelphians. Norris discussed the rapid advance of AI and the emerging industrial revolution, the risk of displacement for the Black working class, and the urgent need for equitable access to advanced AI tools.

Week on WURD
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Dr. Nola Haynes, national security and foreign policy expert, joined Wake Up With WURD with Solomon Jones to unpack several unfolding global crises. She raised concerns about the scarcity of information surrounding the shooting of two National Guard soldiers, examined the potential illegality of recent Venezuelan boat strikes, and assessed why peace negotiations in Ukraine continue to fail. Haynes urged closer scrutiny of U.S. foreign policy decisions that increasingly affect domestic safety and global stability.
Author Dante King joined The Midday Break Room with Tiffany Bacon to explore the arguments in his new book, Diagnosing Whiteness & Anti-Blackness. King asserts that race is not a biological reality but a legal, political, and psychological invention designed to justify anti-Blackness. He explained how these constructs create a form of collective psychosis, shaping institutions and influencing the internalization of racial trauma within Black communities.
URL Media co-founders Sara Lomax and S. Mitra Kalita joined Evening WURDs with Dr. James Peterson to discuss URL Media’s $5 million Knight Foundation grant, a major investment in the future of community media. Lomax and Kalita outlined how the funding will strengthen infrastructure, expand collaboration across the network’s trusted Black and Brown newsrooms, and position URL Media as one of the few national platforms intentionally built to support equitable, sustainable journalism.

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Dr. Terence Keel, UCLA professor of Human Biology and Society and author of The Coroner’s Silence: Death Records and the Hidden Victims of Police Violence, joined Wake Up With WURD with Solomon Jones to examine the country’s broken system for tracking deaths in police custody. He outlined how coroners and medical examiners often obscure or misclassify police-involved deaths — a crisis that hides the true scale of state violence and affects Black, Latino, Indigenous, and poor white communities nationwide.

Minority Leader Kendra Brooks, Philadelphia City Councilmember At-Large, joined ecoWURD Magazine with P.O.C. to address the rise in ICE activity across city neighborhoods and the heightened fear facing immigrant families. Brooks also explained City Council’s newly passed resolution declaring that abortion rights are human rights, placing Philadelphia firmly among cities defending reproductive freedom amid escalating national rollbacks.

Dr. Kayla Elliott, director of Workforce Policy at The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, joined Evening WURDs with Dr. James Peterson to break down the Joint Center’s work as America’s Black think tank. She discussed how federal workforce and education policy shape economic mobility for Black communities — from college affordability to job pipelines — and examined the destabilizing impact of the Trump administration’s policy changes at the U.S. Department of Education.

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Pennsylvania House Speaker Joanna McClinton and State Representative Jordan Harris, chair of the House Appropriations Committee, joined Wake Up With WURD with Solomon Jones to break down the newly passed $50.1 billion state budget after months of delays. They highlighted major victories — including historic school funding increases, a new tax credit for working families, and restored resources for domestic violence and rape crisis organizations. They also addressed the growing controversy over DEI rollbacks in Philadelphia, calling the moment a critical test for equity and governance across the Commonwealth.

Tayyib Smith, curator of the art exhibition “The Source of Self-Regard,” and featured artist Al-baseer Holly joined Amadee Braxton on Solutions to explore the exhibit’s themes, inspired by Toni Morrison’s writings on dignity and self-worth. They discussed Holly’s artistic journey, the political and emotional roots of his visual language, and why cultivating a deep sense of self-regard is essential in resisting becoming “ignorant cogs” in larger systems.

Crystal Jacobs Shipman, Philadelphia’s Sanitation Commissioner, and Faruq Scott, Sanitation Operations Administrator, joined ecoWURD Magazine with P.O.C. to outline major upgrades in the city’s waste infrastructure. They detailed the revamped Northwest Transfer Station, the expansion of the Big Belly smart trash system, and a new citywide enforcement strategy aimed at reducing illegal dumping — a longstanding environmental justice issue in Philadelphia.

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Mustafa Rashed, president and CEO of Bellevue Strategies, joined Wake Up With WURD with Solomon Jones to break down the results of Tuesday’s elections across the country. Rashed highlighted key Democratic victories, examined what effective political messaging looks like in 2025, and warned of the Supreme Court’s growing threat to Black voting rights.

S. Mitra Kalita, veteran journalist and co-founder and CEO of URL Media, joined Evening WURDs with Dr. James Peterson to unpack the New York City mayoral race, where voters decisively supported Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani. Kalita explored the social and political forces behind his win and discussed how immigrants and nontraditional Democrats are reshaping urban politics nationwide.

Kevin Powell, acclaimed author, activist, and Grammy-nominated poet, appeared on Evening WURDs to discuss his debut documentary, When We Free The World. The film offers a raw, reflective look at Black masculinity, trauma, and mental health, urging honest and inclusive dialogue among Black men as a path toward healing and liberation.

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CNN anchor Abby Phillip joined Wake Up With WURD with Solomon Jones to discuss her debut book, A Dream Deferred: Jesse Jackson and the Fight for Black Political Power. Phillip reframes Rev. Jesse Jackson not as a fringe figure, but as a foundational architect of modern progressive politics — connecting his legacy to Barack Obama’s coalition-building and today’s struggles for voting rights and democracy.

Isaac K. Hayes III — music producer, tech innovator, and son of the legendary soul artist Isaac Hayes — joined The Midday Break Room with Tiffany Bacon to share how his social media startup Fanbase is transforming the creator economy. Hayes explained how the platform lets users monetize their content directly, promoting ownership and dismantling traditional gatekeeping in tech and culture.

Leigh Owens, education and advocacy director for the Pennsylvania Prison Society, appeared on Evening WURDs with Dr. James Peterson to expose the overcrowded and inhumane conditions inside Pennsylvania’s prisons. He emphasized that many incarcerated people remain eligible to vote — urging families and communities to help spread the word and reclaim civic power behind the walls.

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WVON host Cleopatra Draper joined Wake Up With WURD with Solomon Jones to share firsthand insight into what’s unfolding in Chicago following the deployment of the National Guard and ICE. Draper described how these actions are heightening fear and tension in Black neighborhoods and reflected on how residents are organizing and responding in real time.

Evening WURDs with Dr. James Peterson featured Dr. McKinley Melton, chair of Africana Studies at Rhodes College, who discussed how the lessons of the Civil Rights Movement continue to shape today’s struggles for justice. Melton also spoke about his work with the Furious Flower Poetry Center and the enduring role of art and scholarship in resistance movements.

On ecoWURD Magazine, Annie Fox of the Clean Air Council explained the significance of a new EPA ruling that strengthens oversight of polluters at U.S. Steel’s Irvin Plant and Neville Chemical. Fox detailed how this decision marks a victory for environmental accountability and a crucial step toward cleaner, healthier communities in Pennsylvania.

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