“Freedom Journeys” at WURD Radio Celebrates 250 Black Philadelphian Stories
Founded in 2002, WURD Radio is celebrating over 23 years as the go-to media channel to interact, engage, and connect with Philadelphia’s Black community. As the only African American-owned and operated talk radio station in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, their evolution into a multi-media, multi-platform communications company has had a significant impact on the expanding access to resources in Philadelphia through radio, events, digital, and social media.
WURD is launching a new initiative celebrating the lives of 250 Philadelphians, a project titled “Freedom Journeys.” Bringing attention to the Black history of Philadelphia, “Freedom Journeys” is a storytelling series honoring 250 African American Philadelphians who have had a role in shaping the city from 1776 to 2026.
As a partnership with Renee Chenault Fattah and Love Now Media, the project will spend a year sharing 250 audio and video stories to place Philadelphia at the center of national attention as America approaches its 250th year. Stories will begin airing on October 27th, 2025, exactly 250 days before July 6th, 2026.
With this project, WURD Radio is “staking our claim and owning our place in this American story,” explains WURD Radio CEO and President Sara Lomax. “We have a very long lineage. If we can embody it, we can stand a little taller, we can walk a little firmer on this Earth– and we need that right now.”
Centered by WURD’s commitment to connect the constituents of Philadelphia to local leaders, WURD also features the weekly talk show, “Conversations with the Commissioners,” with Philadelphia City Commissioners Omar Sabir, Lisa Deeley, and Seth Bluestein every Saturday from 8:00 am to 9:00 am.
Seeking to keep listeners informed and engaged with the latest electoral developments, WURD Radio also hosts “Saturdays with City Council Philadelphia,” from 10:00 am to 11:00 am. Also grounding their work on celebrating the cultural diversity of Philadelphia, the shows “Carribean Connection” and “Freedom Sounds of Jazz” emphasize the importance of Philadelphia’s role as a World Heritage City.
The Global Philadelphia Association continues to support WURD as it highlights Philadelphia’s culture, heritage, and history through broadcasting meaningful conversations with regional voices and bridging connections between Philadelphia and the national community.
