This week on WURD: Downtown Sixers arena approved by council, Remembering Nikki Giovanni, the roots of Philly’s gun violence

Marco Cerino is a reporter at the Philadelphia Tribune. He spoke with Solomon Jones on Wake Up With WURD about the approval vote for the highly contested Sixers arena downtown and what’s at stake for local communities.

Julian Plotnick is the founder of 4 Day Philly. Plotnick joined Evening WURDs with Dr. James Peterson to discuss his efforts to advocate for a four-day work week for the city’s workers and how it could be plausible for the general public.

Isabella Guinigundo is the communications manager for the Youth Climate Finance Alliance. She joined P.O.C. on ecoWURD to talk about how the organization empowers young people to fight climate change through climate finance and advocacy to eliminate corporate extraction of resources.

Dr. Theri Pickens is a poet-scholar and the Charles H. Dana Professor of English and Africana Studies at Bates College. Pickens joined Dr. Peterson on Evening WURDs to discuss the legacy of famed poet Nikki Giovanni.

Mensah Dean is a staff writer at The Trace and joined Solomon Jones on Wake Up With WURD. He discussed his ongoing reporting on the roots and developments of the gun violence epidemic in Philadelphia and how gun violence, race and poverty trace back centuries in Philadelphia.

Veronica Joyner is the founder of Parents United For Better Schools. She spoke with Thera Martin on The Source about her decision to close her own charter school after decades of success and the current climate of the city’s education system.