WURD Radio

Journalist Malcolm Burnley is a staff writer for The Philadelphia Citizen who is passionate about telling overlooked stories throughout Philadelphia. He joins Dr. Peterson for the biweekly Citizen WURD segment on Evening WURDs to discuss his recent article: “'Juneteenth for All?' Almost no Black people on No Kids Day. Almost no White people on Juneteenth. Can we show up together before it’s too late?"

Article Link: https://thephiladelphiacitizen.org/juneteenth-for-all/

Devon Ombres is the Senior Director of Courts and Legal Policy of the Center for American Progress. His expertise includes restoring social trust in democracy, courts, federal legislation, government reform and the Supreme Court.

July 1st marks the 1 year "Evening WURDs" of when he was first a guest on the show and he joins Dr. Peterson on this week's Center for American Progress segment to discuss the end of the Supreme Court of The United States term and their ruling on universal injunctions.

Kalif Troy is the co-creator of the podcast, "Dear Black Man, You Good?" This is a podcast that aims to improve the mental health and wellness of all Black men through culturally relevant education and community care.

Kalif joins the show to further discuss why the podcast was created, the kinds of conversations he has on his podcast, what he hopes to achieve on his podcast, and much more.

Dr. Edda Fields-Black is a Professor in the Department of History and the Director of the Dietrich College Humanities Center at Carnegie Mellon University. Her research is the trans-national history of West African rice farmers, peasant farmers in pre-colonial Upper Guinea Coast and enslaved laborers on rice plantations in the antebellum South Carolina and Georgia Lowcountry.

She joined Dr. Peterson to discuss her teachings at Carnegie Mellon University, and her 2024 book release - COMBEE: Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid, and Black Freedom during the Civil War.

District Attorney Larry Krasner was first elected as the Philadelphia District Attorney in 2017, and in November is running for a third term as he wants to build on his work making Philadelphia a safe and freer city.

He joined Dr. Peterson to support WURD Radio during our June campaign.

Sherri Darden is the owner and publisher of ScoopUSA Media, the oldest free community paper in the tri-state media. Ms. Darden is the first and only Black female 100% owner and publisher of a regularly published newspaper in Philadelphia.

She joins Dr. Peterson to discuss the importance of independent black media.

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.