This week on Bridging Philly, host Racquel Williams examines the sources of and solutions to Philly’s youth violence with Youth Art and Empowerment Project’s Gabriel Jackson and Lutheran Settlement House’s Richie Schultz. Then Shara Dae Howard sits down with advocate Kendall Stephens to hear how her brutal 2020 attack has help strengthen some legal protections for the LGBTQIA+ communities and people of color in Philadelphia. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: http...
Mar 12, 2023•37 min
Spring has sprung early in Philadelphia, and the nation’s largest and longest running horticultural event has arrived. The annual Philadelphia Flower Show has moved back inside to the Pennsylvania Convention Center after two years, which runs from March 4-12. Host Racquel Williams walks through elaborate installations, and finds out how this year’s theme, “The Garden Electric” powers professionals and non-professional horticulturists’ work. She meets the President of the Pennsylvania Horticultur...
Mar 05, 2023•37 min
This week, Bridging Philly marks a year since Russian forces invaded Ukraine, causing millions of Ukrainians to flee the Texas-sized country. In addition to Europe and other safe harbors, the United States has been a refuge to hundreds of thousands displaced Ukrainians. Host Racquel Williams talks to two people from the Philadelphia region who have been helping victims of the conflict. Immigration attorney, Cathryn Miller-Wilson, the Executive Director of HAIS Pennsylvania, an immigrant-assistan...
Feb 25, 2023•37 min
This week on Bridging Philly, we learn how the Philadelphia-based Gift of Life organ and tissue donation program connects donors and organ recipients – and continues to support families through their lives in crucial ways, including grief counseling. A lung recipient and donor mother share their stories with host Racquel Williams. Then, civil rights history meets vintage and thrift clothing in a West Philly fashion boutique. KYW’s Shara Dae Howard talks to Dr. Kimberly McGlone, a former high sch...
Feb 18, 2023•37 min
This week on Bridging Philly: child welfare agencies here and across the country were established to protect children. But after decades of research, our guest Dorothy E. Roberts tells the stories of Black children who are more likely to be torn from their families and placed in foster care than their white counterparts. The University of Pennsylvania professor of sociology and law believes the current welfare system should be abolished. Then, Motown Philly’s Boyz II Men reflect on how today's k...
Feb 11, 2023•32 min
This week on Bridging Philly - building foundations and bridging gaps between the police and the community. Many of us have viewed or heard about the fatal beating in Memphis, Tennessee of Tyre Nichols, the Black victim of a traffic stop gone wrong at the hands of Black police officers. Host Racquel Williams checks in with book author, columnist and radio host, Solomon Jones to discuss the unsettling event. Then, Dr. Angela Roman Clack helps us cope with the trauma of witnessing these violent vi...
Feb 04, 2023•37 min
This week on Bridging Philly, we celebrate the pages of Philadelphia’s African American book authors and book sellers. Host and KYW community impact reporter Racquel Williams discusses the legacy of the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection at Temple University with its curator, Dr. Diane Turner, who worked closely with the scholar. She and art director Eric Battle describe the historic contributions of Black Philadelphians in their recent graphic novel, BLAM! Black Lives Always Mattered!...
Jan 28, 2023•37 min
This week on Bridging Philly, host and KYW community impact reporter Racquel Williams goes back to 2014, when a killing of a three-year-old girl shook the city. She discusses the solutions Unity in the Community’s Anton Moore is providing for neighborhood kids. Moore and his co-filmmakers say they hope their work will eliminate a “part three” to their newly released part two of “The Weight of Death” documentary series. Also, can Germantown Avenue become a version of the Avenue of the Arts? And a...
Jan 21, 2023•37 min
This week on Bridging Philly, KYW Community Impact Reporter Racquel Williams shines the spotlight on an initiative that involves grassroots organizations, clergy members and the city's District Attorney's Office, all collaborating to end gun violence. The newsmaker of the week is Senator Sharif Street. KYW's Shara Dae Howard checks in with the Democratic state representative of the 3rd Senatorial District Office. The Philly Rising Changemaker of the Week is a man who just wants to see clean neig...
Jan 15, 2023•33 min
This week on Bridging Philly, KYW Community Impact reporter Racquel Williams spotlights the Philadelphia Lullaby Project, which is now entering its 4th year. The project pairs new parents with local musicians to craft lullabies for their little ones. It’s presented by World Café Live in Partnership with Carnegie Hall. The newsmaker of the week is Erica Hawkins, award winning documentary film maker, who talks with KYW's Shara Dae Howard about the work and recently winning an Edward R. Murrow awar...
Jan 07, 2023•37 min
This week on Bridging Philly, KYW Community Impact Reporter Racquel Williams talks with members of The Elevation Project of Philadelphia. The Elevation Project offers a supportive space for the formerly incarcerated and those at risk of incarceration. This week's Newsmaker has been named one of Philadelphia's cultural treasures by the Ford Foundation. Vashti Dubois, founder of the Colored Girls Museum, talks with KYW's Shara Dae Howard. Our Philly Rising Changemaker is Ryan Harris, who talks wit...
Dec 17, 2022•37 min
Today on Bridging Philly, KYW Community Impact Reporter Racquel Williams talks with the authors of the book, "White Fragility: Why Understanding Racism Can Be So Hard For White People." It's written by Robin D'Angelo and adapted by Toni Graves Williamson, the director of equity and inclusion at Friends select School in Philadelphia, and Ali Michael. Today's News Maker is Haneef Hill, founder of Urban Youth Kings and Queens. Born and raised in Philly, he founded Urban Youth Kings and Queens as a ...
Dec 10, 2022•37 min
The School District of Philadelphia recently announced its commitment to invest an additional $1.7M to support District paraprofessionals to become teachers. In collaboration with the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, the Paraprofessional Grow Your Own program covers the full cost of tuition and provides additional support so participants graduate debt-free and earn a bachelor’s degree and a teaching role in the District. We're joined by Philadelphia schools superintendent Dr. Tony Watlington...
Dec 04, 2022•37 min
This week on Bridging Philly, KYW community impact reporter Racquel Williams speaks with Care Not Control, a Philly nonprofit working to end juvenile incarceration. They just released a new project that puts their message to music. For the Newsmaker of the Week, KYW's Shara Dae Howard introduces us to Imperfect Gallery, an artist run gallery opened in 2012 in Germantown. They welcome the community to connect and grow together through conversations around art and well as civic engagement. This el...
Nov 19, 2022•37 min
This week on Bridging Philly, KYW Community Impact Reporter Racquel Williams speaks with Mazzie Casher and Steven Pickens of Philly Truce, a violence prevention group working tirelessly to stave the gun violence in Philadelphia. The newsmaker this week is Beyond Literacy, a group in Philadelphia working to raise the literacy levels in the city. KYW's Shara Dae Howard learned how the organization aims to increase good outcomes for Philadelphia children by improving literacy in the home and in sch...
Nov 13, 2022•37 min
This week on Bridging Philly, KYW community impact reporter Racquel Williams speaks with Rachel Honore and Anne Kennan of Literacy and More. Literacy and More is a Philadelphia-based nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide access to community resources for the empowerment of Philadelphia families living in resource-scarce areas. Our newsmaker this week is Christine Brunson, founder of Purple House Project PA, a local nonprofit focused on strengthening women fallen victim to domestic v...
Nov 06, 2022•38 min
LUCY Camden (or Lifting Up Camden's Youth) is a comprehensive after-school and summer youth mentoring program. KYW Community Impact reporter Racquel Williams visited their state of the art, renovated space to find out more about the work they're doing and what's in store for the organization. The Newsmaker of the week is Joss Duncan Asé, the founder of a new multimedia platform that focuses on lifting up communities across the city. She’s recently been recognized by the Philadelphia Association ...
Oct 29, 2022•34 min
This week on Bridging Philly, Racquel Williams talks with Kathy Rafter, Cara Gimble and Cait Pringle from Abington Senior High School. The school has two programs for young adults, ages 18-21, with IEPs, or Individualized Education Programs. ACTIVE academy and STRIVE utilizes the classroom and community to teach students vocational, travel training, and independent living skills. Students are given opportunities to practice these skills in the classroom, at their job site, and in the community. ...
Oct 22, 2022•37 min
Today on Bridging Philly, Racquel Williams talks with two Philadelphia women who decided to take a DNA test to trace their ancestry and they got way more than they bargained for. Lisa Swyer and Donna Garey learned their true identities and reached out to Right To Know, a national support group founded by Kara Rubinstein Deyerin and Alecia Weiss. The group helps individuals who learn their true identity after using popular DNA testing kits. The Newsmaker of the week is Dr. Monique Gary, a breast ...
Oct 18, 2022•39 min
Terrill Haigler might be better known in Philadelphia as Ya Fav Trashman. The former sanitation worker has built a reputation and an online as an advocate for sanitation workers and cleaner streets. He's written a children’s book that teaches kids about clean communities. And now he's running for Philadelphia City Council. Racquel Williams sits down with Haigler to talk about why he's running and his big ideas for Philadelphia. Our Philly Rising Changemaker is Crystal Jackson, the founder of the...
Oct 09, 2022•48 min
The City of Philadelphia is working with the American Cancer Society to remind everyone to get screened for cancer. Today on Bridging Philly, we talk with some doctors from ACS about the importance of early detection. Dr. Carmen Guerra is a professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Medicine. Dr. Guerra talks with Racquel Williams about cancer screenings, the disparities in cancer screenings, and the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on cancer screenings and cancer out...
Oct 01, 2022•1 hr 7 min
I'm Listening is a Bridging Philly special presentation about suicide prevention and the importance of talking about mental health. In this special edition of the show, we talk about the importance of checking in on your mental health and how to get support when you need it, how kids are doing in these times of change and uncertainty, the unique struggles faced by people in marginalized communities, and the devastating impact of gun violence. KYW's Racquel Williams speaks with Dr. Ann Rosen Spec...
Sep 21, 2022•1 hr 1 min
This week on Bridging Philly, Sistahs in Transformation speak on their upcoming Women's Empowerment Conference happening at the end of September. Sistahs in Transformation is a non-profit that was founded amid the COVID-19 pandemic. We hear how three local women came together to make a safe space for Black and Brown women to be empowered by taking control of their mental, physical, and financial health, while supporting others along the journey. Our Newsmaker of the Week highlights Raheem Bell. ...
Sep 12, 2022•1 hr 4 min
This week on Bridging Philly, we highlight Healthy Aging Month, which was designed to focus on the positive aspects of aging. We sit down with the President and CEO of Philadelphia Corporation for Aging, Najja Orr. He shares the efforts the organization is doing to help the local elder community, such as health and nutrition job training and advocating for elders when it comes to financial abuse and legal services. We then hear from former Marketing Director of KYW, Kyle Ruffin on her journey of...
Sep 07, 2022•33 min
Summer is officially over for many students and the Philadelphia School District is still trying to fill teacher vacancies. This episode, we sit down with the president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, Jerry T. Jordan, to speak on the national teacher shortage and efforts in retaining school teachers in classrooms. A shortage of teachers is not the only issue Pennsylvania is facing. According to the State Department of Education, there's a plan to increase the number of teachers by 20...
Aug 27, 2022•32 min
This week Bridging Philly highlights a motivational speaker and transformational life coach and his efforts in helping youth become empowered, boost their confidence, and value their lives. South Philly native Maxwell Brown shares his story of years in incarceration and his teenage decisions to demonstrate how thinking controls actions, behaviors, and outcomes through his workshop and programs. The Bridging Philly Newsmaker highlights Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia researchers and their eff...
Aug 21, 2022•1 hr 1 min
August is Black Business Month. Black business owners make up 10% of the businesses in the nation, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. KYW’s Racquel Williams sits with the president of the African American Chamber of Commerce, Regina Hairston, to talk about the importance of supporting Black Businesses and giving tips on starting a business here in Philadelphia. In honor of this month, we check in with a local business, Dillonades LLC. Dillonades is a mom-and-son duo business started by Tiffany...
Aug 13, 2022•1 hr 4 min
This week Bridging Philly invited the Philadelphia Parking Authority to get a better understanding of the authority and their mission. KYW’s Racquel Williams sits down with Beth Grossman, Board Chairman, Dennis Weldon, PPA General Counsel and Acting Executive Director, and two Deputy Executive Directors, Clarena Tolson and Corrine O’Connor, to speak on the misconceptions surrounding the authority, some programs PPA has and are starting, and the rise of threats and assaults PPA employers have bee...
Jul 31, 2022•1 hr 7 min
Animal Shelters across Philadelphia are filling up with pets. Many pet owners are forced to give up their pets, and many can no longer afford vet bills, food, and other pet necessities. This week Bridging Philly invites Philly Paws Executive Director Melissa Levy to discuss the importance of adoption and fostering pets and the things people should consider before adoption. The newsmaker of the week highlights Senator Shariff Street sharing his ongoing efforts in embracing the Philadelphia commun...
Jul 23, 2022•1 hr 5 min
ECA’s Heater Hotline team serves numerous calls each week from low-income families who have no hot water. The program plans to assist families with water heater replacements at no cost. This week Bridging Philly speaks with CEO of ECA, Steve Luxton, and Director of Community Programs, Lorraine Horton, on the recent launch of the Philadelphia Water Heater Emergency Fund, along with tips on how your family can start conserving energy and promote a sustainable household. To learn more about listene...
Jul 17, 2022•38 min
