Articles
#BlackWURDs Book Club is a monthly book club that airs on the second Tuesday of each month on Evening WURDS with Nick Taliaferro on WURD Radio. Each segment Nick will hold a contest for a giveaway book bundle which consists of 4 titles from Kensington’s Dafina’s authors of colors newest release. ForWURD Members can get […]
By Ngakiya Camara | WURD Radio Dr. Nicolette Louissaint, executive director of Healthcare Ready, joined Charles Ellison on WURD’s Reality Check this past week to discuss vaccine initiatives and the overall future for the coronavirus. Focusing firstly on the single-dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine– whose relatively low effective rate compared to the Pfizer vaccine has […]
By Monica Melton | The Plug The racial wealth gap has ballooned after 41% of small Black-owned businesses were forced to shutter because of the coronavirus pandemic. Since 2016, the average white American family has had a net worth of $171,000, ten times the net worth of $17,150 for the average Black family. The pandemic further aggravated systemic racism and financial […]
WITF’s series of virtual community conversations hosted by Charles Ellison addressing systemic racism and injustice in Central Pennsylvania and beyond continues Thursday, July 2 at 7:00pm. Join us as we examine Black Trauma & Mental Health. Repeated incidents of micro-aggression, workplace discrimination, racial profiling and police brutality have taken a toll on Black Americans. What […]
This story is part of the SoJo Exchange of COVID-19 stories from the Solutions Journalism Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to rigorous reporting about responses to social problems. By Anna Maria Barry-Jester | KAISER HEALTH NEWS Last month, facing the prospect of overwhelmed hospitals and unchecked spread of the novel coronavirus, seven Bay Area county and […]
This story is part of the SoJo Exchange of COVID-19 stories from the Solutions Journalism Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to rigorous reporting about responses to social problems. By Emma Coleman | ROUTE FIFTY While most Americans try their best to stay six feet apart from one another when out at the grocery store or pharmacy during […]
WURD Radio will receive $170,000 from the Knight-Lenfest Local News Transformation Fund, a joint venture of the Lenfest Institute for Journalism and the Knight Foundation. The funding is part of the $2.5 million Philadelphia COVID-19 Community Information Fund, announced jointly by Independence Public Media Foundation and the Knight-Lenfest Local News Transformation Fund. A broad-based, collaborative […]
The Racial Equity in Journalism (REJ) Fund at Borealis Philanthropy has awarded $2.3 million in grants to 16 news organizations serving communities of color across the country. “The COVID-19 global pandemic and the sometimes overwhelming stream of information makes clear the need for trusted news sources that prioritize the needs of underserved communities, who will […]
This story is part of the SoJo Exchange of COVID-19 stories from the Solutions Journalism Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to rigorous reporting about responses to social problems. By Larry Platt | THE PHILADELPHIA CITIZEN Earlier this week, the city announced that applications to Philadelphia’s new Covid-19 Small Business Relief Fund would only be accepted in […]
The rise of the coronavirus has transformed everything I’d come to know as normal. The scratchy throat that in previous years I’d dismiss as the onset of spring allergies is now a source of concern. A trip to the neighborhood market I’ve visited a thousand times is now a journey fraught with risk. The drive […]
This story is part of the SoJo Exchange of COVID-19 stories from the Solutions Journalism Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to rigorous reporting about responses to social problems. By Lisa Gartner | THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER It started with a cough, mild but dry. The body aches and chills came two days later, when Aditi Joshi’s fever […]
WURD’s midday host warns that coronavirus-inspired primary delays could lead to voter suppression and a win for Trump in November—unless we take action now As coronavirus infections rise and more than a quarter of the national population is in some form of “stay-at-home” lockdown, state governments are operating in a perpetually frantic state of emergency. […]
For immediate release: March 24, 2020 Published by: Office of Domestic Violence Strategies, Board of Health, Managing Director’s Office, Department of Public Health, Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity, Office of the Mayor, Office of Emergency Management | Contact: Mayor’s Office of Communications press@phila.gov Mayor Kenney today voiced dismay at federal inaction on aid to cities in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, and criticized the President’s […]
Just a few months ago no one had ever heard of the Coronavirus or COVID-19. The concept of “social distancing” was unknown. And the idea that whole U.S. cities and foreign countries would be under quarantine was unthinkable. But here we are. March 2020. And we are living in a brave new world. Coronavirus has […]
Set to be released on March 18, 2020 on HULU, “Little Fires Everywhere” is based on Celeste Ng’s 2017 bestseller, which follows the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and an enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives. The story explores the weight of secrets, the nature of art and identity, the ferocious […]
WURD’s midday host praises the boldness of City Council’s poverty proposal, with caveats Philadelphia’s poverty rate is much like a “test tube baby”—borrowing from a rather crude but legendary phrase from the late comedian Robin Harris. We know it’s there. We know it’s very high. But we continue to marvel, study and poke at it […]
The Octavius Catto Scholarship aims to increase college degree completion for thousands of local, full-time students Tuesday, March 5th, 2020 – WURD Host, Andrea Lawful Sanders will interview Mayor Jim Kenney following the announcement. Tune into 96.1FM/900AM and wurdradio.com at 1:00pm. PHILADELPHIA — During his annual budget address to Philadelphia City Council, Mayor Kenney unveiled a new […]
There are a lot of things many native Philadelphians, because of their rabid sports team loyalties, won’t tolerate seeing in their city. From people wearing Dallas Cowboys and Washington “Deadskins” jerseys, or maybe flaunting Boston Celtics gear, there are a number of unofficial refractions that will get you at best a Philly side-eye or, at […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 25, 2020 Contact: Charles Ellison | cellison@wurdradio.com | 301.526.2239 LINCOLN PARK STRATEGIES TEAMS UP WITH WURD TO RELEASE NATIONAL BLACK VOTER POLL Philadelphia-based Black-owned Talk Media Station Partners With D.C.-based pollster to Present Nationwide Survey of 1,000 African American Adults (PHILADELPHIA, PA) – WURD Radio (96.1FM / 900AM / WURDRadio.com […]
In the lead-up to Women’s History Month, WURD president and CEO Sara Lomax-Reese sat down for an exclusive interview with Katherine Johnson, the main character portrayed in the movie “Hidden Figures.”
The first participants to kick off Poynter’s programming in 2020 were an impressive bunch: the Fellows of the Media Transformation Challenge (MTC) Program: A Poynter Institute Executive Fellowship. These C-suite executives hailed from a blend of some of the world’s most prominent brands, including the Associated Press, the BBC, CNN, ESPN, Google News and NPR […]
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… as the slogan says, life comes at you fast. But for Black men, it hits us faster and with impeccably brutal precision. Few moments in recent memory will pose as much public metaphysical discourse on the state of Black men in America as the untimely death of Kobe Bryant. And yet, there it was, […]
As it might seem that with each passing month, nowadays, there is some random Philadelphia public school building forced to close from the sudden appearance of toxins like lead, asbestos or an unknown mold. We don’t know how many more will close given the 70 year average age of a public school building. We also […]
(PHILADELPHIA, PA) – WURD Radio welcomes media and broadcast veteran Paul O. Robertson as its new Director of Sales. The station, which is Pennsylvania’s only independent Black-owned talk radio station, and one of only a few remaining in the country, looks to expand its business and media partnerships in 2020. Robertson, who is new to […]
The City installed speed cameras along a deadly stretch of Roosevelt Boulevard this week. Is it Black and Brown Philadelphians, WURD’s afternoon host wonders, who will pay for them? The Philadelphia Parking Authority’s decision to test speed cameras on Roosevelt Boulevard is in many ways a sensible thing to do. After all, the notoriously deadly […]
In the city of Philadelphia, young Black entrepreneurs often take leaps into entrepreneurship and struggle to achieve their dreams while battling a culture of poverty. In Trial By Fire, the short documentary produced by WURD Radio in partnership with the Poverty News Network and MSN, two entrepreneurs share their stories. Looking towards a solution, WURD’s […]
Arguably the biggest difference between the 2016 presidential election and now in 2020 — minus impeachment and general angst over the current Tweetalomaniac residing in the White House — is that candidates are finally having a national conversation on K–12 education. The Democratic party went so far as to dedicate a forum to it (one Saturday night when […]
Some might say Philadelphia feted its new City Council, re-elected mayor and other political luminaries in proper Broad Street-style at the Met on Monday. Some might say they could have done away with all the pomp and just carried out the ceremony at City Hall. But, one thing most seem to agree on is that […]
Not that she had much Black voter support while in it, but others did make gains once she left Since no one else is going to look at it, we’ll do it. Two of the latest major 2020 Democratic nomination polls offer us a glimpse in to sudden shifts in the primary landscape after the […]
A decade ago, before #BlackLivesMatter, before Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown, before camera phones immortalized the deaths of unarmed black people at the hands of police, there was a Philadelphia narcotics squad that allegedly ran amok in black and brown communities. Officer Thomas Tolstoy was a key member of that narcotics squad, and their exploits […]
The Philadelphia Citizen’s Ideas We Should Steal Festival™ is an annual full-day convening that brings the most innovative urban thinkers and global thought leaders together to share and discuss bold ideas that can transform our city. This year’s Festival features bold-faced names like HBO’s John Oliver, New York Attorney General Letitia James, Dayton Mayor Nan […]
(EDITOR’S NOTE: On Dec. 3, Sen. Kamala Harris of California announced that she was suspending her bid for the 2020 Democratic nomination for president. This story, which chronicled a late November push by black women to build support for Harris in Iowa and South Carolina, has been updated to include Harris announcement and otherwise reflect […]
When I convened over 400 people to announce an antigun violence effort called #ManUpPHL last Monday at the Community College of Philadelphia, I knew our effort would be bigger than our own work. It would also be about supporting the work of others. That’s why, on Saturday evening, a little more than two weeks after 10-year-old Semaj O’Branty […]
Philly Thrive activists, filling up seats in yellow shirts along the red velvet carpeting of Philadelphia City Council’s main chamber Thursday, felt a bit cheated. What had originally started out as a much more strongly worded resolution on the future of the shuttered Philadelphia Energy Solutions (PES) refinery site—authored by outgoing Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds-Brown—ended up […]
MEDIA ADVISORY November 14, 2019 Contact: Solomon Jones pipedreamer19141@yahoo.com (215) 837-4325 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CLICK HERE TO FILL OUT THE HELP FORM! #ManUpPHL challenges black men to take on gun violence Dozens of black male organizations convene to stop the shooting PHILADELPHIA— As Philadelphia’s children are increasingly caught in the crossfire, #ManUpPHL, is bringing together hundreds […]
In a Black community dealing with the shooting deaths of numerous children in recent months, another story is vying for top billing — the proposed boycott of the Civil War-era biopic, “Harriet.” It seems to be part of a disturbing pattern of Black folks telling each other not to support Black films. And not just […]
By KELLY MACIAS Senior Editor, Black Women Unmuted Anoa Changa is trying desperately to kick off a frank conversation among Democrats about the electability of their current frontrunner for president, former Vice President Joe Biden. Changa, an Atlanta-based political analyst and attorney, argues frequently on social media that if Democrats select Biden to go up […]
Wake Up With WURD host Solomon Jones spearheaded efforts to hold police accountable for racist Facebook posts after disturbing findings released in the Plain View Project. Over 300 police officers were investigated and over a dozen officers were fired. Jones and other leaders in the city formed the Rally for Justice Coalition and they have been persistent […]
October 22, 2019 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: YaYa Horne yhorne@wurdradio.com WURD Radio’s “ecoWURD Environmental Justice Summit” featured an array of ideas, cultural expressions, and solutions to better the environment (PHILADELPHIA, PA) – On Sunday, October 20, 2019, WURD Radio held its first ever ecoWURD Environmental Justice Summit in partnership with Bartram’s Garden. Amidst the […]
This past weekend in Philadelphia a 2-year-old was shot in the head and died. Just a day before, an 11-month-old baby was shot four times and lived. And while my prayer is that something good can come from this assault on our children, reality says prayer is not enough. Philadelphia’s black and brown community — […]
By Nicki Mayo Black Women Unmuted From reproductive rights for women of color to a “say her name” moment for Atatiana Jefferson, the latest Democratic debate gave Black women plenty to consider as we weigh who to support in the bid to unseat President Donald Trump. A dozen Democrats vying to go up against Trump […]
Once harassed for golfing while Black, Ojo is now the first Black mayor of Hanover, Pennsylvania. But can she get re-elected? Editor’s Note: In April 2018, five black women were asked to leave a golf club near the majority-white borough of Hanover, Pa. The problem? They were accused of playing too slowly. Words got exchanged, […]
I was at home when my wife told me that Amber Guyger, a white former Dallas police officer, was found of guilty of murder for killing a black man named Botham Jean while Jean was at home in his apartment. “Good,” I said flatly. But that single word doesn’t capture the relief that comes with […]
By David A. Love Climate change and environmental issues are impacting the Black community in a disproportionate fashion, a reality which gave birth to the environmental justice movement. Despite the increased importance of environmental issues in Black America — with a heightened level of consciousness on climate issues and African Americans taking a central role in that […]
In this week’s episode of WURD Show on the Go, Dr. Aaron Smith visits New Covenant Church for the Poor People’s Campaign Hearings. The goal of the hearings are to lift up the voices of poor and dispossessed directly-impacted people, and the faith leaders who are on the side of the poor, to demand that […]
Young Black Women Want Atlanta’s Keisha Lance Bottoms to Bring More Than Her Black Womanhood To City Hall ~~~ EDITOR’S NOTE: According to the Center for American Women & Politics, seven of the United States’ largest 100 cities are run by Black women mayors. Two of these cities are state capitals, one is the nation’s […]
Charles Ellison, host of ecoWURD radio on WURD’s Reality Check, presents the ecoWURD Food Lab. In this installment, experts discuss the widespread and very localized impacts of climate change and crisis on food insecurity. ecoWURD Food Lab is a weekly exercise on Reality Check, in partnership with Resolve Philadelphia and Broke in Philly (a project of Resolve), to spotlight food insecurity and how […]
In August 1619, English pirates landed at Point Comfort, Virginia with more than 20 Africans they’d taken captive from a Portuguese slave ship. The pirates traded the Africans for food, and thus began the African slave trade in what would later become the United States. So 400 years of discomfort began at Point Comfort. Four […]
In a shocking turn of events, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross resigned Wednesday, just days after Mayor Kenney called him the best police commissioner in America. I’m saddened by it, because I respect him. There were certainly times when I had to speak, write and protest against systemic racism in the police department. In doing […]
I remember the scene vividly. Eric Garner, surrounded by police officers on a Staten Island street corner, with then-Officer Daniel Pantaleo’s arms locked firmly around Garner’s neck. “I can’t breathe,” Garner said 11 times in a videotaped tragedy viewed by millions. At the end of it, Garner lay motionless on the ground, and the breath […]
The shootout with city police yesterday was in a struggling stretch of North Philly that has too often seen violence. WURD’s afternoon host wonders if now the neighborhood will get some help As worried Philadelphians and the world were gripped by images of a fierce, 8-hour standoff of gun battles and crouching police, many Philadelphians […]
by Sincerely Syreeta Host of The Lounge on WURD RADIO The 4 part series aired nightly on The Lounge from July 29-August 1st “Hearing a mom’s cry, a dad screaming, ‘not my son,’ or a little [child] crying, ‘I want my brother.’ These are sounds we hear when we go home. They never leave you. […]
The mothers of Tamir Rice, Sean Bell, Eric Garner, and Sandra Bland (Samaria Rice, Valerie Bell, Geneva Reed-Veal, and Gwen Carr), join Brother Shomari to talk about violence in our community, where they are in the fight for justice for their children, and to talk about the movie Jason’s Letter. Jason’s Letter, written by Terrance […]
CBCF will host a ceremonial swearing-in for current and newly-elected Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) members of the 116th Congress. Fifty-five (55) members will take the oath of office – the largest in the CBC’s history. The event honors the legacy of the CBC and marks the installation of its new and re-elected members. The ceremonial swearing-in […]
The winds of change blew briskly – and profoundly – through WURD in 2018. In case you missed it, this was a year marked by morning show shifts, the introduction of the all-women lineup – The Source (10am-1pm) — and the growth of our millennial focused show, The Lounge.. Yes: we got off to a […]
Kwanzaa has seven core principles, or Nguzo Saba: DAY 1 – UMOJA DAY 2 – KUJICHAGULIA DAY 3 – UJIMA DAY 4 – UJAMAA DAY 5- NIA DAY 6-KUUMBA DAY 7- IMANI
Dear WURD Family: Thank you for coming out — in force – last Saturday for the 2nd Annual WURD Empowerment Experience! You showed up and showed out. And we deeply appreciate it. Your presence is the fuel that powers our work. If you were there, I think you would agree that we lived up to […]
As we officially celebrate our 15-year anniversary, I have been reflecting on WURD’s evolution and our journey forward. As the only African American talk radio station in Pennsylvania – and one of the few remaining in the country – WURD is carrying on a unique and powerful legacy of conscious Black radio. We are part […]
In 1996, hip-hop trio De La Soul released their third studio album, “The Stakes Is High.” Fans weren’t sure whether to embrace the album because it marked such a dramatic departure from the lighthearted lyrics of their previous body of work. But a good artist is always committed to evolving. The group prided itself […]
As we officially celebrate our 15-year anniversary, I have been reflecting on WURD’s evolution and our journey forward. As the only African American talk radio station in Pennsylvania – and one of the few remaining in the country – WURD is carrying on a unique and powerful legacy of conscious Black radio. We are part […]
If there’s anything the past two years should have taught us is that the American public should be a bit more imaginative when it comes to its politics. These days, anything goes. Anything is possible in an election and in battles over Supreme Court nominees, too. We should have long ago thrown out the conventional […]
With the most crucial set of Congressional midterm, state legislative and gubernatorial elections in modern American political history happening in 49 days, it is still unclear to many observers how mobilized an equally crucial Black vote will be when November 6th arrives. The mood in what is a very noisy Black cultural moment, further lit […]
The mothers of Tamir Rice, Sean Bell, Eric Garner, and Sandra Bland (Samaria Rice, Valerie Bell, Geneva Reed-Veal, and Gwen Carr), join Brother Shomari to talk about violence in our community, where they are in the fight for justice for their children, and to talk about the movie Jason’s Letter. Jason’s Letter, written by Terrance […]
For Michael Cogbill, getting engaged in the electoral process is the best way an individual can help to eliminate community violence. Cogbill, a resident of the Mount Airy section of Philadelphia, was one of many that attended WURD’s Transmit Transform event held at Bartram’s Garden highlighting the documentary “Quest” about life in North Philadelphia. “I […]
Contact: Kwasa Mathis 1341 N. Delaware Avenue, Suite 300 Philadelphia, PA 19125 215.425.7875 ext 121 kmathis@wurdradio.com #WURDWELLNESS PAVILION AT 11th ANNUAL PARKWEST FESTIVAL Black Talk Station Presents Health Conscious Information & Activities in West Philly (PHILADELPHIA, PA) – Today, WURD Radio (96.1FM / 900AM / WURDRadio.com / WURDApp), the only African American owned […]
Contact: Kwasa Mathis 1341 N. Delaware Avenue, Suite 300 Philadelphia, PA 19125 215.425.7875 ext 121 kmathis@wurdradio.com http://wurdradio.com #BEINGWHILEBLACK: WURD HOSTS FIRST LIVE RADIO BROADCASTED FORUM ON RACE, RACIAL TRAUMA and HEALING First Big Philly-based Community Event Since Starbucks Incident to Examine Routine Racism Faced by Black America (PHILADELPHIA, PA) – Today, WURD Radio […]
Another Democratic primary in Philadelphia, another year where voter turnout was pitifully below even the lowest standard set by the city officials who oversee our elections. Races from local to state to federal were crowded and contentious this year, especially in Pennsylvania’s post-gerrymandered era. New Congressional districts offered new plot twists. Nowhere was the political […]
Starbucks COO Rosalind Brewer sat down with the Wake Up With WURD morning team to address the controversial arrests at the Starbucks location at 18th and Spruce Street in Philadelphia, PA.
Honoring one of Philadelphia’s own creative giants – James Mtume – on the celebration of his TVOne UNSUNG special and so much more!
REALITY CHECK: COULD WE CUT PHILLY SHOOTINGS BY…UP TO 93 PERCENT?
Charles Ellison
October 7, 2021