Angela Rye is an award-winning host, social justice advocate, legal analyst, and CEO of IMPACT Strategies - a policy advocacy, social impact and racial equity firm where she creates strategic partnerships and coalitions with Capitol Hill, third party organizations and influencers to ensure society change.

She joined Dr. Peterson to discuss Michelle Obama's name being brought up at the UFC White House event, the stop and frisk incident in Philadelphia, the Iran war, and her response to some calling for athletes in the SEC to stand down from their scholarships.

Natalie Shieh and Sarah McGinnis are from the Commercial Real Estate Development Association, NAIOP Philadelphia. They are the authors of the Philadelphia Citizen article — “A Philadelphia Where Workers Can Afford To Live: If we want people who work in Philly to be able to live in Philly, change must start with bringing down the wage tax, argue champions of commercial real estate and urban development”.

They joined Dr. Peterson for this week's Citizen WURD segment to discuss their article, "A Philadelphia Where Workers Can Afford To Live: If we want people who work in Philly to be able to live in Philly, change must start with bringing down the wage tax, argue champions of commercial real estate and urban development”.

Article Link: https://thephiladelphiacitizen.org/guest-commentary-wage-tax-philadelphia-workers/

Ebony Roberts is a Philadelphia-area filmmaker, festival director, and creative producer best known as the creator and director of the United We Heal Film Festival, a social justice-focused short-film festival that amplifies the voices of Black and Brown filmmakers and fosters community healing through cinema.

Kota the Friend is a multi-instrumentalist and self-made artist. He is one of the performers in the film festival. Kota's music explores themes of self-discovery, resilience, community, and purpose. He also has his on independent label, FLTBYS. His dedication to ownership and storytelling aligns closely with the mission of United We Heal, using art as a vehicle for empowerment, healing, and connection.

The United We Heal Film Festival will take place on June 18th & 19th @ Underground Arts, 1200 Callowhill St, Philadelphia, PA 19107. Ebony and Kota joined the show to talk about the significance of the upcoming United We Heal Film Festival.

Nathalie 'Talie' Cerin is a Philadelphia-based singer-songwriter and cultural worker originally from Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Her music, a mixture of Haitian folk and soul, is a testament to the two cultures that have shaped her as an artist and woman.

Debora Reaves Charmelus is a Haitian-American cultural producer and founder of Kontan Creative Studio, a Philadelphia-based practice rooted in Afro-Caribbean identity, community power, and creative resistance.

Talie & Debora will joined the show to talk about Lakou Philly, a celebration amplifying Haiti's creativity and resilience through live music, good food, and a bustling pan-African artisan market. This event will take place on June 19th from 11a-3p at The Discovery Center, 3401 Reservoir Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19121. They also discussed Haiti returning to the World Cup for the first time in 52 years, and they're playing their opening match right here in Philadelphia on June 19th.

Christopher Stevens is an actor and musician. He not only leads his own band, Vertical Current, but he also served as the horn section leader for John Legend, toured with Eric Roberson, and worked on projects for Diana Ross, Tye Tribbett, and Ms. Lauryn Hill. He earned a GRAMMY nomination for his work on Tye Tribbett's "Get Up".

Chris joined the show to talk about his band and his overall journey in the music industry.

Dr. Stacy Holland is the Executive Director of Elevate 215, a nonprofit organization focused on advancing educational outcomes for Philadelphia students. A new charter school application program, Apply Philly Charter, is helping Philly students connect to the schools they want most while improving efficiency for schools across the city. The new system allowed 26,696 students to rank up to fifteen charter schools in order of preference and receive an offer matched to their ranked choices.

Dr. Holland joined the show to talk about the Apply Philly Charter enrollment program. This new program is helping Philly students connect to the schools they want most while improving efficiency for schools across the city.

Felicity A. Williams, Esq., Executive Director and Laura Beltrán Figueroa, Policy Research and Legislative Strategy Director at the Pennsylvania Policy Center, discuss where PA ranks in state school funding, highlights from Gov. Shapiro's proposed budget, and money in politics.

Kam Middlebrooks, Deputy Executive Director of Onyx Impact, discusses the comprehensive Blackout Report documenting how the Trump administration has negatively targeted Black communities.

Senator Nikil Saval represents Pennsylvania’s First Senatorial District, which runs through the heart of Philadelphia. Senator Saval serves as Democratic Chair of the Senate’s Urban Affairs & Housing Committee, and leads the Senate’s Philadelphia Delegation.

He joined Dr. Peterson to discuss upcoming HOMECOMING 2026: A Day for Justice-Impacted Philadelphians event in conjunction with Councilman Nicholas O’Rourke’s office, this upcoming Saturday, June 20th at 11:00 AM, and the importance of second chances.

Carmina Taylor is a fierce advocate for public education and civil rights leader. She leads the Pennsylvania Black Mayors Caucus, which is partnering on a series of events with the Pennsylvania Literacy Coalition regarding literacy and civic engagement.

She joined Dr. Peterson to discuss the final version of the PA Black Mayors Civic Engagement Initiative, and the launch of the Public Education Testimony Hearings.