Lehigh Valley Discourse

Lehigh Valley Discourse with host James Johnson brings three of the Valley's civil rights leaders together to discuss the moment of our time: social injustice, police brutality, and systemic racism.

James Johnson welcomes Rev. Dr. Larry Pickens and Sally Handlon to Lehigh Valley Discourse. Rev. Pickens shares his journey with faith, his experience with systemic racism, and his perception on the recent social movements for justice and equality.  Sally Handlon brings to WDIY her personal stories on health, wellness, and diet with her first published book: Your Journey to Aging Well - Drink, Move, Eat, Sleep.

Guest Wanda Wood is known as "Mama Wanda" in a village in the African country of Malawi. Now residing in the Lehigh Valley, Wood joins host John Pearce to discuss the nine years she spent volunteering in Malawi in her retirement where she oversaw the construction of a church and a school for poor villagers.

John Pearce welcomes two guests: from the 18th century, Dr. Benjamin Franklin; from the 21st century, Christopher Black, historian/thespian.  You'll hear many facts about one of our country's foremost forefathers. Dr. Franklin even sings a song for us. This one is for the history buffs!

Roller Derby is alive and well in the Lehigh Valley and across the country. Host John Pearce welcomes skaters Kim Dwyer, Michelle Messa and Kyla Szemenyei to talk about the sport, not only on the rink, but the camaraderie and sisterhood in life.

Host Greg Capogna talks with guests Edward Meehan and Ronald Dendas of the Rider-Pool Foundation and Trust as they explore the annual County Health Rankings and what the rankings tell us about the many diverse communities in the Lehigh Valley.

Host Rhea Malhotra returns for the final edition of our quarterly Lehigh Valley Discourse segment, Teen Scientist, talking with California high school seniors Cynthia Chen and Andy Yang about their novel computational biology research involving machine learning for both oncology and epigenetics.

This week's Lehigh Valley Discourse falls a day before the start of Ramadan, so the show focuses on Islam and the importance of the holy month for Muslims.

John Pearce welcomes archaeologist, author, and Northampton Community College professor Edward Henning to discuss the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution in the Lehigh Valley.

Host Alan Jennings speaks to the leaders of two national groups who are working to reinvest funds into low-income neighborhoods and fight poverty.