When WBUR first went live in 1950, it was a small radio station licensed to Boston University, and most of its staff consisted of students and volunteers. From May 29 to 31, the NPR affiliate marked its 75th anniversary with the first-ever WBUR Festival — a three-day celebration of public media and community storytelling.
Bright yellow signs lined Commonwealth Avenue directing attendees to the Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground, where the main festivities took place. The celebration featured street performances, food trucks and a vintage market along with more than 200 speakers leading discussions on key issues such as politics, health, business and education.
Mayor Michelle Wu led a discussion on the City of Boston’s commitment to “ensure everyone is safe and healthy” in the face of challenges from the federal government.
In another panel, BU President Melissa Gilliam joined Danielle Holley, president of Mount Holyoke College, and Evan Smith, a senior advisor at Emerson Collective, to speak about the role of higher education institutions in turbulent times.
Actress and reproductive rights activist Busy Phillips spoke in a panel titled “The Future of Reproductive Rights,” opening with a personal story about receiving an abortion at 15 years old. Phillips noted that having parental support and receiving affordable care made her ignorant to the “sensitive nature” of abortion access across the country.
Jessica Weitz, nationwide director of artist and entertainment engagement at the American Civil Liberties Union, joined the conversation by highlighting the power of individual stories in the fight for abortion rights.
“Finding people who could speak with an ‘I’ voice, so they weren’t just saying, ‘You should do this.’ They were saying, ‘I do this,’” Weitz said. “To me, that was the difference.”
In response to a question from an audience member about the political climate’s effect on media portrayals of reproductive rights, Phillips emphasized the value of integrating stories of reproductive rights and bodily autonomy into mainstream culture. She also encouraged people to “be more discerning in what media they are consuming.”
At BU’s Tsai Performance Center, a full house of eager attendees gathered to see Emmy-winning Food Network star and New York Times bestselling author Ina Garten. Interviewed by Michael Barbaro, host of New York Times podcast “The Daily,” Garten spoke about her early career, recalling her writing journey that was born out of recipe testing.
“I never thought about writing a whole book,” Garten said. “I just thought, ‘Okay, tomorrow I’m going to test the recipe for sugar snap pea salad’ … and I put the pieces together as I was going.”
Young attendees and their parents had a chance to enjoy KidStage, a series of family-friendly performances on the last day of the festival — presented by the Boston Children’s Hospital. “Comics and Adventure Draw-Off!” featured artists Shaina Lu, Jannie Ho and Raúl The Third who created comics onstage from audience-given prompts.
Meena Jain, director of the Ashland Public Library and co-host of the session, said she was surprised by the complexity of children’s suggested prompts.
“Because they participated, they also felt invested in the art, so they just saw everything they wanted to see within 45 minutes,” Jain said.
The second co-host Braden Lamb, a cartoonist based in Salem, Massachusetts, noted the “accidents and surprise and discovery” of storycraft when working with children.
The WBUR Festival also attracted student journalists like Bekah Smith, a BU graduate student.
Smith attended a “Have a Beer” conversation featuring Joe Castiglione, the former announcer for the Boston Red Sox. She said Castiglione “definitely had a voice for broadcasting,” and she enjoyed hearing about his career and the Red Sox’s rivalry with the New York Yankees.
Smith said the festival allowed her to see WBUR in three dimensions.
“Being able to see an interview as opposed to just listening to it on the radio has been nice,” Smith said. “Being able to see how people interact with each other and see how many people are here to support it has been great.”
Festival volunteer and longtime WBUR listener Alexandria Grant said she recognizes the importance of supporting local media.
“It’s nice to be able to get together and celebrate and appreciate the contributions of WBUR, and see that all in one place at one time, because WBUR does important work,” Grant said.