Philadelphia Community Podcast

August Is National Minority Donor Awareness Month - but no matter who you are - I'm hoping this interview will convince you to sign up to be an organ donor - just as I have. I speak to Rick Hasz, President and CEO, Gift of Life Donor Program, Dr. Jerry McCauley, Medical Director Transplantation Service & Chief of Nephrology at Thomas Jefferson University, DeVaughn Alford, Donor Family Member and B...

August Is National Minority Donor Awareness Month - but no matter who you are - I'm hoping this interview will convince you to sign up to be an organ donor - just as I have. I speak to Rick Hasz, President and CEO, Gift of Life Donor Program, Dr. Jerry McCauley, Medical Director Transplantation Service & Chief of Nephrology at Thomas Jefferson University, DeVaughn Alford, Donor Family Member and B...

I've signed up to join the American Association for Cancer Research Runners for Research team for the AACR Marathon Weekend. I speak with Kathleen Titus, Race Director for the Philadelphia Marathon Weekend, produced and managed by the City of Philadelphia. Titus gives us all the details on how to sign up for the World Class race that takes you through some of the City’s most iconic landmarks. http...

National Institute of Mental Health which found that one in five youth are affected by a mental health disorder, and untreated mental illness has been shown to lead to increased risk of dropout, homelessness, substance abuse, chronic illnesses, incarceration, and possibly suicide. The state of Delaware has passed groundbreaking legislation that will go a long way towards helping our kids with ment...

We all seek to find our place in the world and author Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich has written wonderful children's books that speak to that quest. Website: www.olugbemisolabooks.com Instagram: @olugbemisolarhudayperkovich Twitter: @olugbemisola First, if you are experiencing discrimination - there is a state agency that can help you find justice. I speak to Chad Lassiter, Commissioner for the Pe...

National Institute of Mental Health which found that one in five youth are affected by a mental health disorder, and untreated mental illness has been shown to lead to increased risk of dropout, homelessness, substance abuse, chronic illnesses, incarceration, and possibly suicide. The state of Delaware has passed groundbreaking legislation that will go a long way towards helping our kids with ment...

Guest Host Vanesse Lloyd-Sgambati speaks with Dr. Monique Y. Wells. She and her husband, Tom Reeves, founded Entrée to Black Paris (ETBP) tours because of the consistently increasing demand for tours and activities that feature the history, culture, and contemporary life of African Americans and the larger African diaspora in Paris. https://www.entreetoblackparis.com/ Vanesse also speaks with Tiny...

There are no simple solutions to ending violence in our city - but one piece is supporting returning citizens to help break the cycle of incarceration. That's what Mothers in Charge is doing through their re-entry program for women. We'll talk with Mother's in Charge co-Founder Dr. Dorothy Johnson-Speight and Dayna Chandler who is a shining example of what a person can achieve if given a second ch...

Guest Host Vanesse Lloyd-Sgambati speaks with Dr. Monique Y. Wells. She and her husband, Tom Reeves, founded Entrée to Black Paris (ETBP) tours because of the consistently increasing demand for tours and activities that feature the history, culture, and contemporary life of African Americans and the larger African diaspora in Paris. https://www.entreetoblackparis.com/ Vanesse also speaks with Tiny...

The 11th annual BlackStar Film Festival takes place August 3-7, 2022. The Festival is an annual celebration of the visual and storytelling traditions of the African diaspora and of global Indigenous communities, highlighting films by Black, Brown and Indigenous artists from around the world. The event will be offered in a hybrid format, with select in person screenings, live programs, and panels a...

Defense attorneys for three former Sharon Hill police officers charged with killing 8-year-old Fanta Bility after a high school football game are asking a judge to dismiss manslaughter charges against them. I speak with Malcolm Yate, Convenor of the Delaware County Black Caucus about the case and why a coalition of concerned citizens is demanding justice for Fanta. delcoblackcaucus@gmail.com The 1...

I chat with WDAS FM's Mimi Brown who will have a street named after her in West Philly this week. First, a conversation with filmmaker and educator Todd Inman, the founder of Award-Winning Film and TV Production company Tinman Creative Productions. Todd talks about his workshop program for youth age 7-17 called Act Successful which uses the art of filmmaking to inspire youth to live a life of prod...

The heatwave is on! I speak to PECO's Madison Davis who has tips on conserving energy and resources for customers who need financial assistance paying their bill. www.peco.com/waystosave www.peco.com/help . Customers can track their energy use, set up high usage alerts, get tips on how to reduce energy costs, and learn which appliances use the most energy: https://www.peco.com/myaccount , Legendar...

The heatwave is on! I speak to PECO's Madison Davis who has tips on conserving energy and resources for customers who need financial assistance paying their bill. www.peco.com/waystosave www.peco.com/help . Customers can track their energy use, set up high usage alerts, get tips on how to reduce energy costs, and learn which appliances use the most energy: https://www.peco.com/myaccount , Legendar...

From the archives: I speak to the author of The Audacity of Hoop, celebrated sportswriter Alexander Wolff who examines Barack Obama, the person and president, through basketball. This game helped Obama explore his identity, keep a cool head, impress his future wife, and define himself as a candidate. https://www.amazon.com/Audacity-Hoop-Basketball-Age-Obama/dp/1439913099

My athletic abilities were not pretty but I was happy to join the 7th Annual NRG Media Charity Flag Football Game that also marked the Five-Year Anniversary of NRG’s Choose to Give program. Each team represented four Philly area founding Choose to Give partner nonprofits: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Nemours, Philabundance, and Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence. I spoke to Keri Mursche...

Philadelphia has a shameful rate of black maternal death and infant mortality. Family Practice and Counseling Network is working to turn this around with a Women’s Birth Center. LaQuesha C. Garland, Director of Development & Social Innovations for FPCN tells us about plans to build the Birth Center to insure the health of women and babies and their 30th Anniversary Celebration taking place Friday,...

The Philadelphia Union is a team we can root for not only for their excellence on the playing field but also for the impact they're having on the region with community service that listens to the community. I speak to Philadelphia Union Foundation Executive Director Paul Howard about their work making soccer or football as the rest of the world calls it - accessible to our youth and creating mento...

I speak to members of the team that received a Pulitzer Prize for “Suave” - a seven-part podcast series about the criminal justice system that sentences juveniles to life in prison —particularly young men of color— and what happens when, decades later, they’re suddenly granted one more chance at freedom. The story follows David Luis ‘Suave’ Gonzalez from boy to man, exploring incarceration, redemp...

I speak to members of the team that received a Pulitzer Prize for “Suave” - a seven-part podcast series about the criminal justice system that sentences juveniles to life in prison —particularly young men of color— and what happens when, decades later, they’re suddenly granted one more chance at freedom. The story follows David Luis ‘Suave’ Gonzalez from boy to man, exploring incarceration, redemp...

Psychedelics are reemerging as one potential solution in the treatment of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and substance use disorders. However, the research and use of this approach has largely excluded communities of color. I speak to Ifetayo Harvey, one of the founders of the People of Color Psychedelic Collective about their efforts to educate communities about psych...

Newly appointed Philadelphia School Superintendent Dr. Tony Watlington has some huge challenges ahead including increasing high school graduation rates, supporting students in achieving reading and math skills at grade level and addressing the violence that impacts so many of our kids. I had a chance to speak with Dr. Watlington about plans for his first 100 days which include a “listening and lea...

Newly appointed Philadelphia School Superintendent Dr. Tony Watlington has some huge challenges ahead including increasing high school graduation rates, supporting students in achieving reading and math skills at grade level and addressing the violence that impacts so many of our kids. I had a chance to speak with Dr. Watlington about plans for his first 100 days which include a “listening and lea...

Guest Host Vanesse Lloyd-Sgambati interviews award winning children’s book author Carole Boston Weatherford about Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom. Vanesse also chats with Kelly Lee, Chief Cultural Officer and Director of Philadelphia’s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy which is inviting Philadelphians to participate in the development of Philadelphia’s permanent...

I'm going to guess that you know someone who has type two diabetes. I have a close family member who's currently on dialysis and another dealing with pre-diabetes. It's an epidemic - but you know what? it's doesn't have to be that way. with the right kind of lifestyle changes a person with pre-diabetes and prevent the disease from becoming full blown. Diabetes is serious stuff- not only does it in...