Host Racquel Williams and four breast cancer survivors share their unique journeys from the terrifying first time they were told of their diagnosis, through the exhausting treatments, to mentoring new patients. A doctor, also a survivor, explains different types of cancers, dispels treatment myths, and urges securing the right medical team. The group describes their struggles juggling family and work commitments, fears of recurrence, and triumphs by helping others. To learn more about listener d...
Oct 08, 2023•27 min
Our first Bridging Philly Reporters’ Roundtable features the KYWNewsradio coverage of the charges dropped against Philadelphia Police Detective Mark Dial, who fatally shot Eddie Irizarry. Reporters Kristen Johansen, Tim Jimenez and Gina Pompilio describe what they saw and heard in the courtroom and the reaction from Irizarry’s family. Then, behind the Pollinator Power installation with artist Mindy Flexer and children ages 6-20 at the Woodmere Art Museum. To learn more about listener data and ou...
Oct 01, 2023•39 min
Dogs have been part of law enforcement teams for decades, as we most recently saw with the capture of prison escapee Danelo Cavalcante. Man’s best friends are also becoming more commonly used with crisis counselors for comforting students in schools and victims of violence in the community. Members of the Penn Vet Working Dogs Center, Tri-State Canine Response Team, and Delmarva Search and Rescue Group describe how their dogs are translators between humans and the natural world. Then, the Philad...
Sep 24, 2023•43 min
Binge Eating Disorder is a condition often overlooked as self-medicating by over-eating. But it becomes a problem when the consumption becomes out of control as a way to cope with stress. We learn about behavior and medical solutions with Kelly Allison, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Weight and Eating Disorders at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and one of her patients. Then, The Women’s Film Festival begins this week, and Programming Director Suzi Nash shar...
Sep 17, 2023•39 min
Philadelphia’s first African-American female Police Commissioner, Danielle Outlaw, has announced she will be resigning later this month. Former Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey weighs in about how the city’s next top cop can reduce crime while building public trust. Anthony Erace, Interim Executive Director of the Citizen Police Oversight Commission, describes what the new city organization is doing to guide the “just, transparent, and efficient administration of criminal justice ...
Sep 10, 2023•38 min
How can we future-proof our economy? Our guests believe that free or inexpensive community college can help strengthen and stabilize our workforce, but the idea of community college is often misunderstood. Dr. Donald Guy Generals, President of the Community College of Philadelphia, Dr. Lovel Pugh-Bassett, President of Camden County College, and Sara Goldrick-Rab, author of the book, “Paying the Price: College Costs, Financial Aid, and the Betrayal of the American Dream,” discuss the varied progr...
Sep 03, 2023•27 min
“Things might not always be right, but you can make it right.” A recent work readiness assistance course teaches students how to create right angles and the value of nutrition and wellness. Myra Brown, CEO of NWON Opportunities, LLC, is designing programs that service the community and diminish the adverse childhood effects of unemployment, food deserts, and substance abuse. Two recent graduates describe their life-changing experiences with Brown and their union carpenter instructor. Then, Jerem...
Aug 27, 2023•45 min
We celebrate fifty years of Hip Hop that began as an underground party art form and grew into the global backbeat behind today’s music, fashion, language, dance and scholarship. Children of the musicians behind Philly soul music reconstructed rhyme, rhythms, and funk music into their own sound. Hip Hop artist-turned-civil rights attorney and professor Timothy Welbeck describes what makes artists the greatest of all time. Then, DJs Cash Money and Duiji Mshinda reflect on the evolution of Philly H...
Aug 20, 2023•29 min
Fourth-generation Ocean City, New Jersey resident Loretta Thompson Harris was inspired to write a book about the history of her African American community, as she has seen the numbers of Black homeowners slowly decline. The new book, “The West Side: Ocean City in True Color” is the product of years researching her growing family tree. Ms. Harris and members of her family share stories about growing up in their neighborhood that dates back to the 1880s. Then, Nina Ahmad will be the first South As...
Aug 13, 2023•34 min
Host Racquel Williams and three breast cancer survivors share their unique journeys from the terrifying first time they were told of their diagnosis, through the exhausting treatments, to mentoring new patients. A doctor, also a survivor, explains different types of cancers, dispels treatment myths, and urges securing the right medical team. The group describes their struggles juggling family and work commitments, fears of recurrence, and triumphs by helping others. To learn more about listener ...
Aug 06, 2023•1 hr 6 min
Philadelphia's Greyhound terminal recently closed, following the competition in providing curbside transportation services with no shelter or amenities. We discuss the growing problems and solutions with a city official and two transportation advocates. Then, we visit non-profit Eddie's House, which offers daily necessities and hope for vulnerable individuals. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choi...
Jul 30, 2023•40 min
Listen to the different ways housing and food are gateways to intergenerational wealth: Since 1986 Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia has been helping families build affordable homes with neighborhood partners. Habitat’s CEO Corinne O’Connell and North Philadelphia Community Development Corporation’s Executive Director, Darnetta Arce explain how their organizations will be using a recent $315,000 grant to make sustainable home repairs. Then, Germantown’s Christa Barfield believes that her FarmerJ...
Jul 23, 2023•35 min
AI is increasingly a part of our lives: it can be beneficial, like using a smart speaker - and risky, like deep fakes becoming more difficult to distinguish from reality. The University of Pennsylvania’s Cary Coglianese, Edward B. Shils Professor of Law and Professor of Political Science, and Michael Kearns, Professor and National Center Chair of the Department of Computer and Information Science, help us understand what artificial intelligence is, where it came from, and where it is going. Then...
Jul 16, 2023•34 min
This week, Bridging Philly features different ways of helping the next generation prepare for their future by fostering collaboration, and helping them find themselves through peer counseling. First, we hear about the journey of three South Jersey teenagers who kayaked, bushwhacked and hiked through 17 miles to discover natural beauty at their backdoor. Their expedition is chronicled in the documentary, A Search for the Cooper: A River Hidden in Plain View. Then, peer specialists from Intercultu...
Jul 09, 2023•38 min
Music and arts lovers are able to fully enjoy outdoor festivals for the first time since 2019! Susan Slawson, General Manager of The Dell Music Center, Cathy Cahill, President and CEO of the Mann Music Center, and Jesse Lundy, talent buyer for Rising Sun Presents, have weathered pandemic restrictions and describe their summer music series offerings of 2023. Then, East Oak Lane-born-and -raised Sabrina Revelle explains how the Disney+ series , The Crossover - in which she stars - represents diver...
Jul 02, 2023•29 min
We remember Charles L. Blockson, the curator emeritus and founder of the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection at Temple University with Diane D. Turner, the current curator of the collection, who worked closely with the man who preserved and disseminated information about people of African American descent. Then, Molefi Kete Asante, a professor in the Department of Africology at Temple University, reflects upon the “Robesonian character” whose 700,000 piece collection is one of the most ...
Jun 25, 2023•33 min
2023 is the second year Juneteenth is recognized as a national holiday, which is based on the day in 1865, when enslaved African Americans were told they were free - more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. African Americans have been celebrating this day since the late 1800s. Our guests discuss the importance of education, in addition to the celebrations of this significant date. Timothy N. Welbeck, Esq., Director of Temple University’s Center for Anti-Ra...
Jun 18, 2023•34 min
How can we future-proof our economy? Our guests believe that free or inexpensive community college can help strengthen and stabilize our workforce, but the idea of community college is often misunderstood. Dr. Donald Guy Generals, President of the Community College of Philadelphia, Dr. Lovell Pugh-Bassett, President of Camden County College, and Sara Goldrick Rab, author of the book, Paying the Price: College Costs, Financial Aid, and the Betrayal of the American Dream, discuss the varied progra...
Jun 11, 2023•34 min
We find out how the new Philadelphia Parking Authority is making it easier to park, bike, and walk our city streets by improving customer service. Executive Director Rich Lazer and Philly 3.0’s Engagement Director John Geeting discuss safety issues including bike path clearing and ghost car removal. Then galaei’s Executive Director Tyrell Brown describes how this year’s Philly Pride festival is providing safe spaces & resources, in addition to marching in the street. To learn more about list...
Jun 04, 2023•33 min
"Loneliness is more than just a bad feeling," according to a recent op ed by U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy. Our guests, Drs. Hallie A. Lightdale and Matthew Hurford, describe the mental and physical risks heightened by social disconnection, including heart disease, dementia and stroke. Joining them is writer and poet, Athena Dixon, who explains what inspired her to write The Loneliness Files. Then, we meet longtime civil rights advocate Rue Landau, Philadelphia’s first LGBTQ City Council ...
May 28, 2023•30 min
Recent research shows life expectancy improves when African Americans live near Black doctors, and Temple University primary care physicians, Dr. Delana Wardlaw and Dr. Menachem Leasy, explain why they're not surprised by this data, as they see it every day in their practices. Then, Oshun Family Center’s founder, Saleemah McNeil describes how her holistic approach to birthing as a reproductive psychotherapist, certified lactation consultant and birth doula, can reduce the rising number of Black ...
May 21, 2023•34 min
Navigating the mental health care system is a challenge for the most sophisticated of patients, but what about people looking to see a therapist for the first time? Where do you start? Do you go to someone who matches your demographic? Is tele-health private? Host Racquel Williams asks these questions and more with our panel of therapists. Then, Shara Dae Howard introduces us to the poets and musicians who are inspired by the historic Germantown Awbury Arboretum. To learn more about listener dat...
May 14, 2023•34 min
We pickup with the second half of host Racquel Williams’ interview with Philadelphia-born book authors Richard Dilworth and Brett Mandel, who share their ideas of solutions to make city government more transparent. Then, Shara Dae Howard talks to voters in the city’s varied neighborhoods, and finds growing gun violence to be the biggest problem they want their next mayor to fix. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more...
May 07, 2023•34 min
Philadelphia-born book authors, Richard Dilworth and Brett Mandel, talk to host Racquel Williams about corruption in Philadelphia. Then, Shara Dae Howard remembers Harry Belafonte's civil rights activism through his collaborations with Paul Robeson and Marian Anderson. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apr 30, 2023•34 min
The Philadelphia area has an expanding 378 miles of recreational trails, connecting nine counties along rivers and trees that are used by individuals and families for exercise, commuting and socializing. Iresha Picot tells host Racquel Williams how she has been introducing women to the trails for self-care and community with her cycling club, Black Girl Joy Bike Rides. Also, Shara Dae Howard walks the grocery aisles of Bebashi’s FoodFirst Pantry, which is helping to feed families in need since p...
Apr 24, 2023•34 min
Grant money from the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office is helping to transform guns into garden tools in Kensington. Host Racquel Williams speaks with Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner and RAWTools Philly's Shane Claiborne about how the non-profit organization is using the anti-violence prevention funds redistributed from civil asset forfeiture. Then, Shara Dae Howard sits with Janice Sykes-Ross, Executive Director of the West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance and Paul Robeson Hous...
Apr 16, 2023•33 min
Sister Mary Scullion and Candice Player of Project HOME tell host Racquel Williams that if everyone had a safe place to call home, equal and livable wages, and quality health care, they could break the cycle of poverty and homelessness. For 35 years, the non-profit has been working towards creating access to affordable transitional and permanent housing programs in Philadelphia’s most challenged neighborhoods. Then, Shara Dae Howard talks to the curators of the exhibition, Rising Sun: Artists in...
Apr 09, 2023•37 min
Meet Leth Oun, who was among the thousands of Cambodian refugees who found a home in South Philly in the 1980s. He is a survivor of the Khmer Rouge regime, which eliminated a quarter of the country’s population. He talks to host Racquel Williams about writing his new memoir, A Refugee’s American Dream: From the Killing Fields to the Secret Service with his co-author Joe Samuel Starnes. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Lea...
Apr 02, 2023•32 min
According to our guest, Dr. Carmen Guerra, the number of people under the age of 50 diagnosed with colorectal cancer is growing, and researchers don’t know why. But they do know the age to begin getting screened for this type of cancer is 45. By the time most people feel symptoms it’s often too late for successful treatment for survival. The University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine's physician is joined by Patti Hollenback, a nurse who lost her husband to colorectal cancer, and who...
Mar 26, 2023•35 min
In the game of chess, the queen is the most powerful piece on the board. But it wasn’t until the 1500s that she gained these advantages. Two-time U.S. Women's Chess Champion Jennifer Shahade shares the history of chess with Racquel Williams and our Philadelphia-based panel of young, female chess players. She says chess became a better game after the queen’s role changed, and she is working to make top level chess more inclusive. Then, we check in about the fire damage to Camden’s MLK House with ...
Mar 19, 2023•37 min
