WURD Radio

Linn Washington Jr., is a Professor of Journalism at Temple, where he is a co-founder of the award-winning Multimedia Urban Reporting Lab. In addition to his Temple degrees, Washington holds a law degree from Yale University. Linn talks to us about the Trump administration, which has drafted a memo to Congress outlining its intent to stop almost all funding for public broadcasting, which includes NPR and PBS. What does this latest attack on media mean for freedom of the press in America?

Dr. Kevana Nixon is the Clinical Director of the Black Brain Campaign, which eradicates the stigma of mental health in the black community by providing a holistic approach to therapy treatment. The Black Brain Campaign services include free individual and family counseling, training courses for therapists, supervision, and community resources.

She joined Dr. Peterson to discuss more about what the the Black Brain Campaign does, and their free therapy services they provide Black Philadelphians.

Councilwoman Jamie Gauthier represents West and Southwest Philadelphia as the City Councilmember for the Third District, fighting for her constituents’ right to live with dignity, and remain in the neighborhoods they’ve called home for decades. Councilwoman is the only elected official in the City of Philadelphia with a planning degree, offering her a unique perspective on social, and economic issues.

She joined Dr. Peterson to discuss Budget 101: Neighborhoods Workshops, Septa's budget proposal and more.

Tuesday Teach-In with Dr. Cara McClellan, Practice Associate Professor of Law; and Founding Director of the Advocacy for Racial & Civil Justice Clinic, which provides students with hands-on experience working in civil rights litigation and policy advocacy around systemic racism, at the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. McClellan joins the University of Pennsylvania Law School from her position as Assistant Counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc., where her work focused on increasing education equity and ending the criminalization of Black people.

She joined Dr. Peterson to discuss Trump's threat on Harvard's tax-exempt status after freezing $2 billion funding and more.

John LaChine and Diane Davis are from Healthy NewsWorks, who empower elementary and middle school students to become researchers, writers and critical thinkers to advance health understanding & literacy.

Diane Davis is the Community Outreach Manager of Healthy NewsWorks, where she helps engage schools and individuals in Healthy NewsWorks activities and increases awareness and support in the larger community.

John LaChine is the Chief of Staff of Healthy NewsWorks has more than a decade experience working and education; and has managed programming at the English School of Gothenburg, Sweden for 6 years.

They both joined Dr. Peterson to discuss the upcoming Health Conversations event - a friendly, health-focused discussion led by Healthy NewsWorks student journalists happening next Tuesday, April 29th at their work at Health NewsWorks.

Sha Battle is the woman who is behind the movement to create April as “International Black Women’s History Month,” which Virginia state House and Senate just passed. She joined Dr. Peterson to discuss her journey of establishing April as “International Black Women’s History Month,” and the importance of doing so.

Dr. Marlene Daut is an award-winning author, scholar, and professor specializing in Haitian History and Culture at Yale University. Dr. Daut’s most recent book “The First and Last King of Haiti: The Rise and Fall of Henry Christophe,” explores the fascinating life of Haiti’s only king while delving into the complex history of 19th-century Caribbean monarchy. She joined Dr. Peterson to discuss her newly released book and her curriculum at Yale University.

City Commissioner Chairman Omar Sabir was sworn into this position on January 6, 2022. Chairman Sabir’s primary goal as Commissioner is to empower and enable all Philadelphians to participate in the voting process by addressing voter apathy and educating communities about the importance of civic engagement. He joined Dr. Peterson to discuss the electoral process, voter registration and poll workers.

Will Ragland is the Vice President of Research for the Advocacy and Outreach Department at the Center of American Progress, where he leads strategic and investigative research in support of CAP’s communications and campaign efforts. He joined Dr. Peterson to discuss the DOGE cuts, and the impact on Pennsylvania.

Patricia Wilson Aden is the President and CEO of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, which leads and strengthens the voices of the region’s diverse cultural ecosystem - including museums, community art centers, historical sites and more.

Patricia joins the show to talk about how First Person Arts, the local nonprofit dedicated to live storytelling and community building, has canceled the entire season of its marquee StorySlam events, due to a freeze in funding.

The National Endowment for the Arts has funded the storytelling competition events for the past few years through its Grants for Arts Projects program. This year, the agency awarded $35,000 for StorySlams, but in late January, President Donald Trump’s administration froze trillions of dollars in grants and loans, including those from the NEA, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute for Museum and Library Services.