The Legacy of Crystal Bird Fauset

Building Progress: Leon Sullivan and OIC Philadelphia

In this episode of WURD Radio’s Summer of Freedom Cultural Series, host and executive producer Solomon Jones explores the legacy of Rev. Dr. Leon Sullivan, the North Philadelphia pastor and civil rights leader who founded the Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC) in 1964. From its beginnings in an abandoned jail at 19th and Oxford, OIC grew into a national and international force for workforce development, economic empowerment, and social justice. The feature traces Sullivan’s role in building Progress Plaza, challenging apartheid, and confronting discriminatory hiring practices, while also spotlighting OIC’s continued impact today. Through interviews with OIC president Sheila Ireland, staff, students, and alumni, listeners hear how the organization has expanded into fields such as culinary arts, healthcare, and green jobs—carrying forward Sullivan’s vision of leveling the playing field for Black workers and communities. The Summer of Freedom Podcast is brought to you by Comcast and Keystone First, and presented in partnership with the Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia and the Society for the Preservation of African American Assets. Listen on-demand: Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/summer-of-freedom-cultural-series/id1838511907]⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-week-on-wurd/id1821500670] | ⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/0CwkzTxUKkXwzdaGycenxd]⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://open.spotify.com/show/4rHQDJtCnc2Q4MX3RIRj0V] | ⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/onwurd]YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@onWURD/podcasts] | RSS [https://anchor.fm/s/108f1bbe4/podcast/rss]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://anchor.fm/s/1833ff0/podcast/rss] ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://anchor.fm/s/1833ff0/podcast/rss]Download the WURD App: ⁠⁠⁠Apple⁠⁠⁠ [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/wurd-radio/id1555428526] | ⁠⁠⁠Android⁠⁠⁠ [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=hr.apps.n179012] Get the latest from WURD: ⁠⁠⁠⁠wurdradio.com/newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://wurdradio.com/newsletter]  Support independent Black media: ⁠⁠⁠⁠wurdradio.com/support [https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/]  Follow us:  Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@onwurd⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://instagram.com/onwurd]  Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@forwurd⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://facebook.com/forwurd]  YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠youtube.com/onwurd [https://youtube.com/onwurd]

A Home for Black Women’s Stories: The Colored Girls Museum

In this episode of WURD Radio’s Summer of Freedom Cultural Series, host and executive producer Solomon Jones visits the Colored Girls Museum in Germantown with founder Vashti DuBois. Housed in an ordinary Philadelphia home, the museum documents and elevates the experiences of Black women and girls through art, installations, and storytelling. The feature explores how the museum began as a Fringe Festival performance and grew into a unique cultural institution. Listeners hear from DuBois, artists, and journalists about the significance of exhibits such as For Girls—a memorial to the four girls killed in the 1963 Birmingham church bombing—and how the museum addresses themes of trauma, resilience, and representation. The Summer of Freedom Podcast is brought to you by Comcast and Keystone First, and presented in partnership with the Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia and the Society for the Preservation of African American Assets. Listen on-demand: Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/summer-of-freedom-cultural-series/id1838511907]⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-week-on-wurd/id1821500670] | ⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/0CwkzTxUKkXwzdaGycenxd]⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://open.spotify.com/show/4rHQDJtCnc2Q4MX3RIRj0V] | ⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/onwurd]YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@onWURD/podcasts] | RSS [https://anchor.fm/s/108f1bbe4/podcast/rss]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://anchor.fm/s/1833ff0/podcast/rss] ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://anchor.fm/s/1833ff0/podcast/rss]Download the WURD App: ⁠⁠⁠Apple⁠⁠⁠ [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/wurd-radio/id1555428526] | ⁠⁠⁠Android⁠⁠⁠ [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=hr.apps.n179012] Get the latest from WURD: ⁠⁠⁠⁠wurdradio.com/newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://wurdradio.com/newsletter]  Support independent Black media: ⁠⁠⁠⁠wurdradio.com/support [https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/]  Follow us:  Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@onwurd⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://instagram.com/onwurd]  Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@forwurd⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://facebook.com/forwurd]  YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠youtube.com/onwurd [https://youtube.com/onwurd]

The Legacy of Crystal Bird Fauset

WURD Radio kicks off this year’s Summer of Freedom Cultural Series with a powerful story about Crystal Bird Fauset, the first Black woman elected to a state legislature in the United States. Hosted and executive produced by Solomon Jones, this feature takes listeners on a journey to West Philadelphia, where Fauset lived, worked, and built the foundation for a lifetime of public service. Through archival history, family reflections, and commentary from today’s leaders, we explore Fauset’s groundbreaking path—from her election to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1938, to her role in President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration, to her lifelong commitment to civil rights and racial justice. Her story reminds us that today’s progress stands on the shoulders of pioneers who refused to be silenced. Part history lesson, part cultural preservation, this special episode shines light on an overlooked political trailblazer —and asks what her legacy means for Black women’s leadership today. This episode of Summer of Freedom is presented by Comcast, Keystone First and PECO, in partnership with the Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia and the Society for the Preservation of African American Assets. Listen on-demand: Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/summer-of-freedom-cultural-series/id1838511907]⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-week-on-wurd/id1821500670] | ⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/0CwkzTxUKkXwzdaGycenxd]⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://open.spotify.com/show/4rHQDJtCnc2Q4MX3RIRj0V] | ⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/onwurd]YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@onWURD/podcasts] | RSS [https://anchor.fm/s/108f1bbe4/podcast/rss]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://anchor.fm/s/1833ff0/podcast/rss] ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://anchor.fm/s/1833ff0/podcast/rss]Download the WURD App: ⁠⁠⁠Apple⁠⁠⁠ [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/wurd-radio/id1555428526] | ⁠⁠⁠Android⁠⁠⁠ [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=hr.apps.n179012] Get the latest from WURD: ⁠⁠⁠⁠wurdradio.com/newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://wurdradio.com/newsletter]  Support independent Black media: ⁠⁠⁠⁠wurdradio.com/support [https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/]  Follow us:  Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@onwurd⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://instagram.com/onwurd]  Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@forwurd⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://facebook.com/forwurd]  YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠youtube.com/onwurd [https://youtube.com/onwurd]