Bridging Philly

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 make...

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 Mu...

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 Ur...

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 te...

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...

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 a...

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 P...

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 lif...

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 give...

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 ide...

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...

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...

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 communiti...

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 h...

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 a...

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. Ac...

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. Th...

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 i...

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,...

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 wee...

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...

Many students in the Philadelphia School District rely on school meals during the school year. With school being out, kids no longer have access to free lunches. This week Bridging Philly tackles food insecurity in Philadelphia. KYW’s Racquel Williams sits with Community Impact Director Anita Anim of the American Heart Association and Jamese Newsome-Williams, Director of Adult Programs and Communi...

The wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade sparked a lot of reactions and protests across the nation. Kimberly Mutcherson, co-dean and law professor at Rutgers Law School joins KYW’s Racquel Williams to talk about the legal implications of what’s next to come and discuss some privacy rights at risk. KYW’s Shara Dae Howard speaks with local Philadelphia doctors as they share c...

Through justice work, advocacy, non-profits, and weekly events, the Philadelphia LGBTQ Community is keeping Pride afloat. This week on Bridging Philly, KYW’s Racquel Williams, Shara Dae Howard and Antionette Lee first sit down with State Representative for the 181st District and is the first openly LGBTQ person of color elected to the Pennsylvania General Assembly, Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, and co-fa...

This week on Bridging Philly we honor the history of Juneteenth. We invite Tamara Staley, President of The Philadelphia Juneteenth Family Inc, and Cornelia Swinson, Executive Director of The Johnson House as they both give us a little history lesson on the federal holiday. Our Newsmaker of the week is Nikki Powerhouse, an LGBTQ community Philly poet and author of color who advocates for POC throug...