Stephen N. Adubato Sr. was an iconic Newark and New Jersey political power broker who created the North Ward Center, a non-profit community service organization during the turbulent 60's in the state's largest city. "Big Steve" also built the Robert Treat Academy Charter School. Tributes from politicans, community leaders, school officials and residents have been pouring in since Steve Adubato, Sr. passed away last Friday at the age of 87. Public Television personality, WBGO host and former

U.S. Rep. Andy Kim interrupted a red streak in 2018 when he defeated incumbent Republican Tom MacArthur. The first-term Democrat said since being elected he has tried to be responsive to his Burlington and Ocean County constituents in New Jersey’s 3rd Congressional District, an effort which has included hosting more than two dozen town halls.

DD : The NY Film Festival, which ended last weekend, was a miracle that it happened at all. The 58th festival, since its founding in 1962 by Richard Roud and Amos Vogel, faced challenges that the previous 57 never did. Like Toronto last month, it scrambled to go virtual. The good news is it turned up some quality films among its 50 film lineup that will make their way to you on your home screen, and possibly to theaters, some day soon. Like everyone else, our film critic Harlan Jacobson was not

Nicole L. Thompson, a filmmaker born and raised in Newark, will kickoff the virtual Women In Media - Newark 2020 Film Festiva l, which runs through October 21. Thompson is the Director and Producer of Blackbird , an aspirational tale about Sherri Jones, an African American young woman who cleans planes for a living, but dreams of being a pilot. Thompson spoke to WBGO News Director Doug Doyle from her home in Los Angeles. Nicole graduated from the University of Southern California with a Masters

Joyce Adewumi is the Director and Producer of We Are The Endless Roar , a film that gives a better understanding of traditional African cultural practices and beliefs. We Are The Endless Roar will be screened April 3 as part of the Women In Media - Newark 2020 Film Festival . Adewumi's project is being shown virtually after COVID prompted the festival to postpone the showing that was to have taken placew at the T. Thomas Fortune Cultural Center in Red Bank, New Jersey. You can now see the film

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. While there are many great survivor stories, Molly MacDonald's journey is one of the more inspiring ones. MacDonald, a Detroit, Michigan resident, is the founder and Executive Director of The Pink Fund. The Pink Fund is a non-profit breast cancer organization that provides 90-day non-medical cost-of-living expenses to breast cancer patients in active treatment for breast cancer, so they can focus on healing, raising their families, and returning to the

Halloween is approaching and because of the pandemic, this is going to be a very different Halloween. If you have teenagers in the house and they’re staying in this year, TV is not the only source of scary content. WBGO’s Jon Kalish introduces us to an author who writes horror fiction for young adults. Ann Davila Cardinal is a novelist and Director of Recruitment for Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA). She has a B.A. in Latino Studies from Norwich University, an M.A. in sociology from UI&U

WBGO commentator Mildred Antenor says she's angry over how women are being treated during the coronavirus pandemic, especially those in the healthcare industry. Antenor is a professor and the author of The Gladioli Are Invisible: A Memoir. Click above to hear the entire commentary.

Backed by 10 years of research, VKTRY is the world's first high performance insole, scientifically proven to help athletes run faster, jump higher and train smarter. VKTRY CEO Steve Wasik is the latest guest on SportsJam with Doug Doyle . The unique, patented design is made from aerospace-grade carbon fiber and was originally developed by Matt Arciuolo for the USA Olympic Bobsled team to help with explosive starts. Now, the product is being used across virtually all sports and by all levels of

The Self Made photojournalism project profiles nine Black women business owners in Newark who were documented just before the COVID-19 outbreak. It celebrates their creativity and connection to community at a time when the future of small businesses everywhere, especially those owned by Black women, is uncertain. The Self Made women, who make the products they sell, were photographed by Tinnetta Bell and interviewed by journalist Carrie Stetler between July 2019 and January of 2020. Stetler