The 2026 Lancaster Avenue Jazz & Arts Festival returns to Saunders Park Greene (39th & Powelton) on Saturday, July 19 from Noon to 7 pm. The Festival celebrates John Coltrane and West Philadelphia jazz musicians with spectacular live performances, local vendors, fun children’s activities, and delectable treats from food trucks. WURD host David Barnes hosts the event, sponsored by Jefferson Health.

Trish Downey is the Senior Director of External Affairs at HopePHL. She joins Host David Barnes to discuss how HopePHL tries to spread hope in the city of Philadelphia with social services for youth and unhoused people across the city.

The 2026 Lancaster Avenue Jazz & Arts Festival returns to Saunders Park Greene (39th & Powelton) on Saturday, July 19 from Noon to 7 pm. The Festival celebrates John Coltrane and West Philadelphia jazz musicians with spectacular live performances, local vendors, fun children’s activities, and delectable treats from food trucks. WURD host David Barnes hosts the event, sponsored by Jefferson Health.

Chief Administrative Officer of Jefferson Health Plans, Cat Bird joins host David Barnes to discuss what makes the partnership with the Lancaster Avenue Jazz & Arts Festival meaningful to Jefferson Health, and how the festival aligns with Jefferson Health Plans' community engagement strategy.

Stacey Woodson joins the show. She is a registered Dietitian Nutritionist. Stacey talks to us to about " Eat for Your Life", breaking down what foods you should or shouldn't eat with autoimmune disease.

Cherri Gregg and Yvonne Latty are the Executive Producers of the podcast “Dying on the Inside: Women Lifers at Muncy Prison”.

Cherri Gregg is the Founder of Create Genius Media LLC, co-host of WHYY’s flagship radio news show "Studio 2", and an Emmy and Murrow award winning journalist.

Yvonne Latty is a Professor at Temple University’s Klein College of Media and Communication, and the Director of the Logan Center for Urban Investigation Reporting.

They joined Dr. Peterson to discuss their podcast and the fastest-growing population of incarcerated individuals, which are women.

Ben Olinsky is the Senior Vice President of Structural Reform and Governance at the Center for American Progress. He rejoined American Progress after serving as the special assistant to the president for labor and workforce policy under former President Barack Obama, where he helped craft the president’s agenda for labor and employment issues.

Ben Olinsky joined Dr. Peterson to discuss Trump’s threats to elections and states’ constitutional role.

Preston Mitchum is an attorney, activist, Professorial Lecturer in the School of International Affairs at George Washington University, and founder of PDM Consulting. He joined Dr. Peterson to discuss the Todd Blanche confirmation coverage.

Dr. Ashley Lowe-Simmons is a licensed clinical social worker and Certified Financial Social Worker who works at the intersection of mental health and financial well-being. She provides expert support for individuals and families navigating anxiety and panic attacks, and she also helps clients understand and reduce the emotional and psychological stress that can come with money decisions.

Dr. Ashley joins the show to discuss navigating life transitions, especially after experiencing some form of loss. Whether that's continuing to live your life after the death of a loved one, after the loss of a job, or even after ending a friendship or relationship.

Deona Smith is the executive director of the Mother Emanuel Memorial Foundation, an organization that was established by a group of community and business leaders inspired to take action to honor those who were killed in the mass shooting in Charelston, South Carolina, where Dylan Roof took the lives of 9 people who were attending Bible Study at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, the oldest black church in the Southern United States.

More than a decade after nine Black worshippers were murdered during Bible Study at Mother Emanuel AME Church, a permanent memorial honoring their lives is nearing completion in Charleston, South Carolina. The Emanuel Nine Memorial, expected to open in Fall 2026, will honor the nine victims, the five survivors, and all those impacted by racial violence.

Deona joins the show to talk about the significance of the Emmanuel Nine Memorial.

Gabrielle Patterson is a Philadelphia-based filmmaker whose short documentary, The Seeds We Carry, is featured in this year's Black Star Film Festival. The Seeds We Carry is a short documentary weaving intimate portraits of community farm stewards in Southwest Philadelphia. Through the rhythms of planting, cooking, and sharing food, the protagonists reveal how everyday acts of care and resistance nurture belonging, forge cross-cultural kinship, and preserve a sense of home amid the pressures of displacement in a rapidly changing city.

The 15th Annual BlackStar Film Festival will take place from August 6 to August 9, 2026. Centered on Broad Street in Philadelphia and accessible globally online, this Oscar-qualifying festival is a premier celebration of independent cinema, visual arts, and storytelling traditions by Black, Brown, and Indigenous filmmakers from around the world.

Gabrielle joins the show to talk about her film and what people can expect to see at the Black Star Film Festival.

Dr. Shawn Jackson joins the show. She is the Founder of "Serenity Hormone Replacement Therapy". Dr. Jackson talks to us about, "Thriving in Midlife: Taking Charge of Your Health Before Symptoms Take Charge of You"