Citizencast

On this episode of Evening WURDs, James Peterson is joined by Kenyatta James, executive director of the Economy League. They discuss how small and minority-owned businesses can get ahead in Philly and what "human-centered design" means. 

There is a literary crisis in Philadelphia. Percival Everett’s National Book Award-winning novel James might just be the way forward. 

The remade Gallery is constantly roasted for its lack of personality. But maybe that's just what makes our Fashion District a hidden gem. Maybe.

In 2013, a teenage boy lit the skirt of an agender teen asleep nearby on fire. They sustained major burns to their legs and the offending teen was charged as an adult -- over the wishes of the victim and their family. This true story is detailed in The 57 Bus by journalist Dashka Slater. With discrimination against trans persons becoming openly accepted in the U.S., Ali Velshi sits down with Slater in this episode of Velshi Banned Book Club.

DA Larry Krasner says he’s a “democracy advocate” and his real opponent is Donald Trump. Is there actually something to it?

In our latest episode of How To Really Run A City, our hosts invite an “elusive wizard” onto the show. Bruce Katz is the Founding Director of the Nowak Metro Finance Lab at Drexel University, and an architect of the National Housing Crisis Task Force at Accelerator For America. “Bruce has forgotten more about cities than I’ll ever know,” Larry tells our mayors before referencing the Trump Administration’s gutting of federal agencies and funding. “Given your experience, Bruce, how scared should we be?” “This is a war on the poor,” Katz says. “This is a war on science. This is abandoning our allies and the dismantling of the federal government. We should be very scared.” That doesn’t mean there is no hope, though. “The U.S. has always shown the power of the local,” Katz tells the hosts. “We are really unlike any other place in the world. We have a long tradition of volunteerism, philanthropy and corporate engagement. It’s local. People are committed to place. This will be our salvation.”  As cities go, so goes

In this episode of Citizen of the Week, we highlight FDR Park volunteer coordinator Tara Anastasi. From reclaiming lakes from "phrags" to organizing an army of volunteers, Anastasi gets stuff done. 

The Economy League’s latest pitch competition is looking for ideas on how to close the racial wealth gap, with $50,000 going to the winner

During the red scare of the Cold War, American politicians discriminated against and began deporting Chinese-Americans. This included the scientist who would become the father of China's ballistic missile program. Ali Velshi explains why the overreactions to immigrant scares only ends up hurting the country. 

A Philadelphia urbanist and working parent tried to go car free. She learned how that's a hard thing to do, even in a 15-minute neighborhood.

On this episode of Big Rube's Philly, Rube visits with Candace Johnson, the Philly creator of TOUCHY/FEELY, the card game of intimate connection.

... with Dr. James Peterson of Evening WURDs. This week, Larry Platt calls into the show to discuss his recent Citizen article and throw around ideas for a set of truly progressive tax reforms Philly could enact.

Inspired by his own journey as a father, a Temple University police officer has become a vital support for hundreds of students in North Philadelphia

MSNBC host and Citizen board member Ali Velshi focuses on a recent arrest in Louisiana for abortion and connects it to other rights directly threatened: contraception, consensual gay sexual relationships, and same-sex marriage.

Congressmembers Chrissy Houlahan, Brendan Boyle and Brian Fitzpatrick all recently exhibited something voters rarely reward: Integrity

A new nonprofit called Live Work Philadelphia thinks that by diversifying our middle-income earners, we can create a path to prosperity for all Philadelphians. Hear Malcolm's conversation with executive director Javier Suarez.

Michelle Angela Ortiz doubles down on Our Market — a public art project honoring the diverse stories of the S. 9th Street Market. The sense of community Ortiz's art inspires is helping residents and businesses stand against the twin threats of gentrification and anti-immigrant sentiment.

Louis King, the CEO of OIC of America, ran a successful program to open high-paying construction jobs to more people in Minnesota. Now, he’s doing the same in Pennsylvania.

Larry recently sat down with teacher and author Kimberly McGlonn to talk about her upbringing, her struggles against racial injustice and about her new book, Build It Boldly: How Daring Business Leaders Can Gain Influence and Create Impact. McGlonn's message was an inspirational clarion call to the citizen leaders in our midst. 

The Philadelphia Tax Reform Commission just released a new report. What are they proposing? Is this plan something even a progressive could get behind?