Photo by Eric Draper. Credit: LBJ Library from Austin, Public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsDr. James Peterson | WURD RadioWhen I was little, my parents told me I would be the first Black president of the United States.Being that young and impressionable, I believed them. What I did not yet understand was the architecture of possibility. I did not grasp the mathematics of improbability, the long odds, the history, the resistance. […]
Gov. Josh Shapiro joined Solomon Jones on Wake Up With WURD to discuss his proposed $53.2 billion state budget, promising no tax increases while boosting funding for schools, housing, and transit. He renewed a push to legalize recreational marijuana, with set-asides for small and diverse businesses. Shapiro also backed legal action to restore Philadelphia’s President’s House slavery exhibit.Natalie Wilson, chief operating officer of the Black and Missing Foundation, joined Wake […]
Sara M. Lomax | The Philadelphia Inquirer This piece was initially published by the Philadelphia Inquirer on February 3, 2026. Black media matters. Right here, right now, and more than ever before. We are the essential workers on the front lines of a growing resistance movement. As the owner and operator of WURD Radio, Philadelphia’s only multiplatform Black talk radio station, my team and I are focused on a singular […]
Journalist Errin Haines, president of the National Association of Black Journalists, joined Solomon Jones on Wake Up With WURD to discuss an NABJ town hall on press freedom and journalist safety. Haines addressed the arrests of independent Black journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort, warned about a chilling effect on reporting, and urged the public to support credible Black journalism as a core democratic protection.Dr. Yaba Blay, assistant teaching professor […]
By Dr. James Peterson | WURD RadioFifty federal agents don’t show up at your door for nothing.But despite the outsized operation, Nekima Levy Armstrong — an attorney, civil rights organizer, reverend, and a mother — didn’t commit violence.Her alleged crime? She walked into a church in St. Paul, Minn., worshiped with the congregation, and asked a question about why their pastor also served as a local director for U.S. Immigration […]
Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II joined guest host Candace Johnson on the Midday Break Room to argue that the church belongs in the public square as protests, immigration enforcement, and policy decisions reshape daily life. Drawing on Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy, he challenged Christian nationalism, defended protest inside sacred spaces, and called for organizing rooted in love, truth, and public accountability. Attorney Michael Coard joined Evening WURDs after the National […]
By Dr. James Peterson | WURD RadioWhat if the whole universe were inside your refrigerator?My daughter, an educator, tells a story about an after-school arts program where she was asked to help elementary school students reflect on the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. Rather than beginning with speeches or dates, she invited the children to imagine King visually—to draw him, to shape him, to think about what he looked […]
Malcolm Kenyatta, Pennsylvania State Rep. and DNC Vice Chair, joined Solomon Jones on Wake Up With WURD to break down Donald Trump’s latest speech, calling it a cascade of falsehoods amplified by corporate media incentives. Kenyatta challenged claims about inflation and wages, pointing to rising unemployment as a key economic warning sign. He argued that media consolidation are encouraging networks to prioritize access and ratings over accountability. Future Cain, founder and CEO […]
Film critic Tim Gordon joined Wake Up With WURD with Solomon Jones to talk about the shift occurring in the media landscape due to the bidding war between Paramount and Netflix over Warner Bros. Discovery. Gordon highlighted the tension between market consolidation and political influence, and the negative consequences for consumers and media integrity.Joy D. Calloway is the president and CEO of the Black Women’s Health Imperative, which focuses on […]
Dr. Nola Haynes is a national security and foreign policy expert. She joined Wake Up with WURD with Solomon Jones to discuss the lack of information surrounding the shooting of two National Guard soldiers, the implications of potentially illegal Venezuelan boat strikes, and the failure of peace negotiations in Ukraine.Author Dante King joined The Midday Break Room with Tiffany Bacon to break down his latest book, "Diagnosing Whiteness & Anti-Blackness: […]
