DNC in Philadelphia, Local Radio Weighs In, WDAS WURD

For black folks in Philly, this election and this pit stop of a convention on the way to November are, of course, “relevant,” says beloved WDAS-FM daily DJ Patty Jackson. “But it feels like we are watching a show. I just hope people come out and vote.”

Barbara Grant, a Philadelphia media strategist and journalist on WURD-AM , hopes so, too. “There is real fear that we could end up with a President Donald Trump and that we could contribute to that outcome if we don’t turn out a big vote. “People are realizing that sitting it out is not an option if we care about the future of our people,” she adds.


The original post titled

#DNCinPHL? Don’t Forget to Ask Black Philly About That
By: Charles D. Ellison

Curmudgeonly optimistic but still very wary, black Philadelphians are side-eyeing this election season, including its Democratic convention.

No convention of a major political party in the city of Philadelphia can take place without great degrees of deference to its blackness.

Pundits unable or unwilling to do so will quickly melt into nonsensical half-assedness, the consequence of white-typecasting Philly with the lore of cheesesteaks, perennially angry Eagles fans and “Brotherly Love.” But in this vast, creaking city of 1.5 million, where more than 40 percent of the population is African American, its black experience is quintessential to its existence.

Democratic National Convention delegates are wrangling over a messy nomination process, which now includes Russian-hacked emails and the spurned sensibilities of typically white “Bernie or Bust” supporters. ... [Read the rest of the article→]


Charles D. Ellison is a veteran political strategist and a contributing editor at The Root. He is also Washington correspondent for the Philadelphia Tribune, a frequent contributor to The Hill, the weekly Washington insider for WDAS-FM in Philadelphia and host of The Ellison Report, a weekly public-affairs magazine broadcast and podcast on WEAA 88.9 FM Baltimore.