Deborah Roberts, co-anchor of 20/20 and ABC News senior national affairs correspondent, joined Solomon Jones on Wake Up With WURD as the program begins its 49th season. Roberts called President Trump’s mounting attacks on press freedom a concern for all Americans, urging journalists to demonstrate credibility and integrity amid political pressure on news organizations.
Stefan Roots, mayor of Chester, Pa., joined Ernest Owens on On the Record to discuss Philadelphia’s proposed continued use of ReWorld’s Chester incinerator. Roots called the facility an example of environmental racism, noting Chester supplies just 2% of the trash burned there while bearing the pollution, and said the incinerator is now hindering the city’s economic development.
Gerald Veasley, bassist and curator of the Unscripted Jazz Series, and Kirk Whalum, Grammy Award-winning saxophonist, joined Dr. James Peterson on Evening WURDs ahead of John Coltrane’s 100th birthday. They reflected on Coltrane’s distinctive sound, extraordinary work ethic and recovery from addiction while previewing the Sept. 30 Jazz Under the Stars centennial celebration at the Mann.
Chantel Peterson, journalist, culture storyteller and founder of Black Art Expo and Black Culture Trivia, joined Tiffany Bacon on The Midday Break Room for “Where Are They Now?” Peterson traced Crooklyn star Zelda Harris’ extensive post-film career and highlighted Zion Marley’s emergence as a musician carrying forward the musical legacies of his mother Lauryn Hill and the Marley family.
Dr. Jeremy McCool and Earl Hopkins, authors of Raps of Resistance: How Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole Reignited a Hip Hop Tradition, joined Tiffany Bacon and her regular book club guest host Dr. James Peterson on The Midday Break Room. They examined how corporate interests, algorithms and passive listening have reshaped “conscious rap,” while arguing that artistic independence gives rappers more freedom to sustain hip-hop’s tradition of resistance.
Dr. LaToya Parker, senior researcher at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, joined Dr. James Peterson on Evening WURDs to discuss how ostensibly neutral tax policy can deepen the racial wealth gap. Parker highlighted research showing Black taxpayers claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit are audited at sharply higher rates and warned of renewed efforts to add barriers to receiving the credit.
Officially? The Envy McKee Show aka Starfolk University (the onliest on air school for modern mystics) is hosted by Envy McKee, DJ Frosty Phenix (on the 1’s and 2’s) and a gorgeous star tribe of "Deans" who show up as life explorers, thought leaders, metaphysicians, visionaries, imagineers, intuitives, psychics, oracles, witches, shamans and idea tinkerers who are here to build and birth The Beloved Community in themselves and on planet Earth School. Bring a journal, a pen and 3 friends. Class is in session Friday nights 7-10pm.
close
