Journalist Roxanne Shepelavy oversees the workings of The Philadelphia Citizen, including its editorial content; and writes and edits stories about solutions to problems in Philadelphia. Roxanne has been a Philadelphia journalist for more than 2 decades and certainly knows the impact and importance of independent media. She joins Dr. Peterson to discuss the significance of independent media.

Councilman Isaiah Thomas - serving his second term on City Council, is currently the Chair of the Education Committee and the Legislative Oversight Committees; and Vice Chair of the Children and Youth Committee. Whether addressing public safety, providing pandemic relief or making the city government more transparent, Thomas believes in a government that works for the people and improves the basic quality of life for all Philadelphians.

He joins Dr. Peterson on Evening WURDs to show his support for WURD Radio.

Journalist Joseph Lee is the author of NOTHING MORE OF THIS LAND: Community, Power, and the Search for Indigenous Identity, a sweeping personal exploration of Indigenous identity and the challenges facing Indigenous people around the world. In this book, Lee addresses the many threats facing U.S. tribes today, from their complex relationship with local, state, federal, and even their own tribal governments to the fight between white-driven conservation efforts and Indigenous land management. He argues that while Indigenous identity is often tied to ancestors, land, and the past, it is also ever-changing and reliant on how Indigenous people choose to engage with their own communities today more than anything else.

“Nothing More of this Land” is being released July 15th. Joseph Lee joins Dr. Peterson to give us an in-depth exploration of this powerful exploration.

Julia Cadwallender is the Managing Director of Read By 4th. She is our partner for our weekly segment “Philly Reads,” on the 1st Monday of every month. She joins Dr. Peterson to show her support of Evening WURDs, our literacy initiatives on the show, and WURD Radio.

Michael Eric Dyson joins Dr. Peterson on Evening WURDs to discuss the importance of Black Talk Media and more.

Dr. Deborah D. Roebuck, Doctor of Nursing Practice, is the Founder and CEO of “Going Thru The Change,” a global health and wellness company that focuses on helping women of all generations navigate pre-menopause, peri-menopause, menopause, and post-menopause or better known as “Going Thru The Change”.

Dr. Roebuck joins the program to talk about how women can navigate overcoming insomnia during menopause.

Megan Piphus is a 4x Emmy-winning producer and artist who began performing at age 10 and gained national recognition as a ventriloquist on The Oprah Winfrey Show’s World’s Most Talented Kids. She has played the role of Gabrielle on the legendary children’s show Sesame Street since 2020 and became the first full-time Black woman puppeteer on Sesame Street in 2022.

Megan joins the show to talk about how she got started in ventriloquism, her start on Sesame Street as the first Black female puppeteer, her new Album: “Cinderella Sweep", and more.

Tavis Smiley is the owner of 1580 KBLA Los Angeles: one of four remaining Black owned talk radio stations in the US. Tavis is also an author, broadcaster, and entrepreneur best known for his insightful interviews and commentary on race, politics, and culture.

Tavis joins the show to talk about the importance of Black media, and why it’s important to keep it alive.

Elizabeth Stephenson is a cancer survivor, and Elizabeth Darnall is the Senior Director of Federal Advocacy for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network: an organization that is working to improve the lives of people with cancer and their families through advocacy, research, and patient support, to ensure everyone has an opportunity to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer.

They both join the show to talk about the proposed cuts to Medicaid and health care programs in the Budget Reconciliation Bill. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the Senate bill would result in $793 billion cuts to Medicaid and cause nearly 11 million people to become uninsured, with no other affordable health insurance options.

Annelle Sheline, PhD, research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft discusses the recent attacks on Iran by the U.S. and what a responsible foreign policy could look like.