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This Week on WURD: Democratic sweep in nationwide elections, Zohran Mamdani wins NYC mayoral race, Kevin Powell on Black masculinity 

Mustafa Rashed is the president and CEO of Bellevue Strategies. Rashed joined Wake Up With WURD with Solomon Jones to discuss the outcome of Tuesday's elections around the country and wins from the Democrats in key races. He also covered the effectiveness of political messaging and the existential threat to Black voting rights via the Supreme Court.Jenné Johns is the founder and president of "Once Upon A Preemie." Johns joined Soulful Sunrise with Karen Taylor Bass to talk about National Preemie Month, the emotional and medical […]

todayNovember 7, 2025

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This week on WURD: Jesse Jackson’s political legacy, monetizing content with Fanbase, the government shutdown’s impact, Pennsylvania’s prison conditions

CNN anchor Abby Phillip joined Solomon Jones on Wake Up With WURD to discuss her debut book “A Dream Deferred: Jesse Jackson and the Fight for Black Political Power,” which reframes Jackson’s political legacy. She argues that Jackson was not a fringe figure but a foundational architect of modern progressive politics. Phillip connected Jackson’s vision to Barack Obama’s coalition-building and current challenges to voting rights and democracy.Music producer and entrepreneur Isaac K. Hayes III joined The Midday Break Room with Tiffany Bacon to discuss […]

todayOctober 31, 2025

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This week on WURD: “Secret” war with Venezuela, the rising cost of healthcare, Black progress meets white backlash

Malcolm Nance is a U.S. Navy veteran, intelligence analyst, author, and media commentator. Nance joined Wake Up With WURD with Solomon Jones to talk about the Trump Administration's "secret" war with Venezuela, the deployment of the National Guard and federal agents to Black and brown U.S. cities. He called for African-American leadership to hold daily press conferences and begin organizing a massive response.Janet M. Taylor is the CEO of "Got Clutter, Get Organized" and joined Soulful Sunrise with Karen Taylor […]

todayOctober 24, 2025 5

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Michael Days, editor and advocate for diversity in journalism, dies at 72

By Ovetta Wiggins | URL Media * Photo Courtesy of YouTubeMichael Days, a pioneering editor and tireless advocate for diversity in America’s newsrooms who shepherded the Philadelphia Daily News to a 2010 Pulitzer Prize win for investigative journalism, died Saturday after suffering a heart attack in Trenton, New Jersey. He was 72.As executive editor of the Philadelphia Daily News, known as the “People’s Paper,” and a lifelong member of the National Association of Black Journalists, Days challenged the industry’s white-male-dominated newsrooms […]

todayOctober 21, 2025

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This week on WURD: Remembering the Million Man March, legacy of the Harlem Renaissance, Columbus Day vs. Indigenous Peoples’ Day 

Della Clark is the president of the Enterprise Center in Philadelphia. Clark joined Wake Up With WURD with Solomon Jones to talk about "Ready Set Grow," WURD's initiative to help local businesses prepare for the influx of business during the country's semiquincentennial year. Clark also discussed the importance of strategic planning and execution and stressed that financial readiness is key.Carvin Haggins is a Grammy-winning producer and multi-platinum songwriter known for shaping the sound of contemporary R&B and soul. Haggins joined Tiffany Bacon […]

todayOctober 17, 2025

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The Assata Alignment

By Dr. James Peterson | WURD RadioTraditionally, when Black legends transcend—artists, educators, entertainers, and especially revolutionaries—we say, Rest in Power. With the transcendence of Assata Shakur, this phrase becomes not only a farewell but a charge. It is a discursive summoning of spirit, a reminder of the weight carried by those who dared to love Black people enough to resist.Assata’s story is singular in the history of Black resistance in the United States. Her life defies the limits of fiction—it is too complex, […]

todayOctober 14, 2025

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This week on WURD: National Guard in Chicago, exhausted while Black, the resilience of Black women

Cleopatra Draper is the midday host for WURD's sister station, WVON in Chicago. Draper joined Wake Up With WURD with Solomon Jones to discuss the public response to the deployment of the National Guard and ICE to Chicago. She also weighed in on the current mood in the city and how these actions are impacting the Black community.Dr. McKinley Melton, an associate professor and chair of Africana Studies at Rhodes College, appeared on Evening WURDs with Dr. James Peterson and spoke about his […]

todayOctober 10, 2025 1

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WURD Radio Honors Founder and Community Leaders at 2025 Gala

WURD Radio marked its annual Founder's Day Gala on Friday, Oct. 3, gathering supporters at the Fairmount Park Horticulture Center to celebrate the station's legacy, honor its founder, and recognize community impact across Philadelphia. The evening served as a tribute to the life and vision of WURD founder Walter P. Lomax Jr., M.D., whose dedication established the state's only Black-owned talk radio station.The event spotlighted the contributions of the 2025 Community Impact Award recipients. This year's honorees were: Loree D. […]

todayOctober 8, 2025 4

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This week on WURD: Remembering Assata Shakur, Ali Velshi on shutdown and democracy, gridlock in Harrisburg

Ali Velshi, award-winning MSNBC journalist and host of Velshi, joined Wake Up With WURD with Solomon Jones to discuss the looming government shutdown, Donald Trump’s alarming comments about using the military in U.S. cities, and the broader threat of rewriting American history. Velshi also previewed MSNBC’s Live 25 event in New York City. Pam Africa, MOVE member and longtime activist, joined Wake Up With WURD to reflect on the life and legacy of Assata Shakur — from meeting her in […]

todayOctober 2, 2025 3

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