This week on WURD: SEPTA cuts, Clipse’s latest album, motherhood and reproductive justice

SEPTA Director of Media Relations Andrew Busch joined Wake Up With WURD with Solomon Jones to discuss SEPTA’s structural budget deficit and how this will impact commuters in Philadelphia and surrounding areas. Busch also explained how the deficit will lead to significant service cuts and fare increases if the budget is not finalized before August 24.

Journalist and Media Personality Justin Hunte joined Evening WURDs with Dr. James Peterson and discussed the return of hip-hop group Clipse with their latest album “Let God Sort Them Out,” exploring the layered themes of the project. Peterson and Hunte also analyzed the eugenics-oriented messaging in recent ads from American Eagle and Dunkin’ Donuts, offering sharp insights into the cultural moment at large.

Joy’El Ballard, M.D., is a board-certified OBGYN, women’s health expert and menopause advocate. Dr. Ballard joined Soulful Sunrise with Karen Taylor Bass to talk about Uterine Fibroid Awareness Month, how to identify the symptoms of uterine fibroids, and why Black women are disproportionately affected by fibroids.

Ashley Redfearn and Naimah Wimberly are Philadelphia charter school professionals. Both joined The Midday Break Room with Tiffany Bacon to give their takes on the changes they believe need to be implemented in Philadelphia’s public and charter school systems, in order to further enhance the learning of high school students.

Dr. Nikia Smith Robert is an assistant professor of Religious Ethics and Social Justice at the University of Kansas, specializing in mass punishment, abolition, religion, and Black motherhood. Dr. Robert joined Evening WURDs to talk about the moral crisis of criminalizing Black motherhood, the harmful intersection of religion and reproductive justice, and how restorative justice should replace punitive systems in schools and society.