Youth Activism After an Election: Live Broadcast and Book Signing

WURD Radio invites you to join a live broadcast conversation with WURD host James Peterson, youth activist Sonia Patel Banker, Philadelphia Councilmember Isaiah Thomas and Sonali Kohli, author of the young adult nonfiction book “Don’t Wait: Three Girls Who Fought for Change and Won,” to discuss the future of youth activism, and how to find our movements and power after an election is over.

Doors open at 4:30 pm, and the conversation will begin at 5 pm. Hakim’s Bookstore will be on site to sell books, and after the panel there will be a book signing with author Sonali Kohli and Sonia Patel Banker, who is featured in “Don’t Wait.”

About Don’t Wait:

The young adult nonfiction book Don’t Wait: Three Girls Who Fought for Change and Won, published in June 2024 by Beacon Press, follows the stories of three young women activists of color fighting for some of today’s most pressing movements of defunding the police, environmental justice, and arts education.

Girls of color have always been on the front lines of the fight for equal rights—to vote, to learn, to live. In Don’t Wait, journalist Sonali Kohli follows three teenagers’ efforts to make their communities safer, healthier places.

Don’t Wait highlights what propelled the teenagers into their activism to their experiences organizing and incorporates Q&As with important lessons from activists who have led the way.

About the Speakers:

Sonali Kohli is a journalist writing about young people and the futures they are creating. Kohli was an education reporter for the Los Angeles Times for six years with a passion for covering youth movements and in 2020, was named the top education journalist in the nation by the Education Writers Association. She is currently a recruiter at URL Media, where she works with underrepresented folks in journalism and media to find jobs and workplaces that will treat them well. Follow her on her website (sonalikohli.com) and instagram (Sonalimakes).

Sonia Banker (she/her) advocated for equitable arts education funding in California public schools with the American Civil Liberties Union. Her activism culminated in the drafting and passage of Proposition 28 in November 2022. She is currently a junior at the University of Pennsylvania majoring in Political Science. At Penn, Sonia is the Editor-in-Chief of Penn Political Review, an executive board member of Penn’s Government and Politics Association, a member of the West Philadelphia Tutoring Project, and the Music Director of Penn’s oldest a cappella group. She has also worked for politicians at the local and federal levels.

Isaiah Thomas: Born and raised in Northwest Philadelphia, Councilmember Thomas is the third youngest of nine children of a Philadelphia school teacher and a child care provider. Through Sankofa Freedom Academy, Lincoln University and the Thomas and Woods Foundation – Thomas has put the success of young people at the forefront of his work. Whether in the classroom, on the basketball court, or in City Hall – he believes that education, opportunity and coalition building is the way to make a Philadelphia that works for all of us.

James Peterson, Ph.D. is a writer, educator, and consultant. Dr. Peterson is the Host of “Evening WURDS” on WURD (900AM and 96.1FM) in Philadelphia, PA. He is the author of several books, including The Hip Hop Underground and African American Culture, Prison Industrial Complex for Beginners, and Hip-Hop Headphones: A Scholar’s Critical Playlist. He is a columnist for The Philadelphia Citizen and has written for Fortune.com, Newsweek.com, The Guardian, The LA Times, Reuters, The Huffington Post, The Daily Beast, and The Grio. Dr. Peterson is also a professional wordsmith who has ghostwritten and edited projects for a variety of individuals and corporate entities across a wide spectrum of professions.

About WURD Radio:

WURD Radio is the only African-American owned and operated talk radio station in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (and one of only three remaining in the country). Started in 2002, over the past 19 years WURD has evolved into a multi-media, multi-platform communications company that reaches deeply into the Black community through radio, events, digital and social media. It is considered the go-to media channel to engage, interact and connect with Philadelphia’s Black community.