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On Sunday afternoon, over 200 women gathered at the City Avenue Hilton Hotel for lunch with Andrea Lawful-Sanders. This wasn’t just any lunch; for many, it was a pilgrimage to show support and camaraderie for the beloved radio host and community advocate who had recently found herself thrust into the global spotlight.
Women dressed in bright colors, filled the space with an air of celebration and solidarity. The atmosphere was electric, with DJ 007 curating a selection of Soca music as people made their way to unassigned seats. Syreeta Martin, a host and journalist who considers Andrea a mentor, led the audience in grounding themselves and affirming one another. The lunch became a space for raw, honest conversations about the challenges women face, both in their personal lives and in the public sphere. Women shared stories of struggle and triumph, hurt and healing.
“I think it was impactful, purposeful, and necessary. It caused a lot of us, who don’t normally self-reflect, to do that and be vulnerable enough to be open with one another. With everything that we do, as women in all of the hats we wear, it gave us the chance to center ourselves and just be,” said attendee Radeen Scott.
Attendee Corinne Green shared that, “The experience was very, very refreshing. Anytime you get a group of women willing to authentically trust one another and share is an experience that can be both healing and rewarding… people started to share some of the reasons that were holding them back from creating authentic relationships: guilt, shame, or jealousy, and we really had an ‘aha moment’ to think about where those feelings came from. So, I think that the space allowed us to actually sit still and deal with what we were carrying.”
I spoke with Andrea about her journey and her work as an advocate-turned-radio host. For her, the event served as a reminder of the importance of community and the healing power of shared experiences. “The unadulterated trust from the women there makes me want to cry,” she reflected. “The transparency and the love. They were loving on me and loving on each other.”
For years, Andrea has been a quiet force for change in her community, standing up for children and families and using her voice to amplify the concerns of those often left unheard. Her move to Philadelphia nine years ago marked the beginning of a new chapter, one that would see her emerge in 2019 as a powerful voice on the airwaves of WURD radio.
Through the increasingly rare, two-way radio format at WURD, she developed a deep trust with her listeners. She often took her commitment to her on-air work a step further by following up with listeners to share information, offer solutions, connect people with policymakers, and rally people together to support each other. “I began saying to the people who would call all the time, ‘If you’re listening to me, tell me, what is it that you want me to cover on this radio show?” This listener-centric approach became her hallmark, earning her comparisons to the legendary Mary Mason and building a loyal following among Philadelphians hungry for authentic, community-focused content.
It was during the tumult of the COVID-19 pandemic that Andrea’s impact truly began to crystallize. In early March 2020, she invited Dr. Ala Stanford onto her show, initially to celebrate Women’s History Month; the interview would mark the beginning of a crucial public health campaign. Dr. Stanford’s warnings about the impending pandemic, and its potential impact on the Black community, led to regular appearances on Andrea’s show to debunk myths and provide vital information at a time when misinformation was rampant.
Andrea’s ability to use her platform on WURD for the greater good didn’t go unnoticed. As she explained, “The White House campaign team called me on July 2nd. I interviewed the president on July 3rd.” This opportunity to interview President Joe Biden came in the wake of a presidential debate where his performance had been widely criticized. The interview was a chance for the President to reaffirm his competency; For Andrea, it was a recognition of her thoughtful, balanced approach to interviewing her on-air guests.
In the days following the interview, Andrea found herself at the center of a media storm. Questions arose about her journalistic integrity, with some outlets criticizing her for using questions provided by the White House – a practice that, while debatable, is not uncommon for high-profile interviews, according to Biden’s campaign and other industry professionals.
In the face of global scrutiny, Andrea could have crumbled. Instead, she chose reflection and accountability. As she told the gathered women at the lunch, “two weeks ago, I had been the first person to interview the President following his debate. Just two days after that, my reputation was being questioned throughout the world.”
In Philadelphia, though, the response was united: the community she had nurtured through years of service rallied around her, affirming their support for her character and her impact. What began as a simple Facebook post, inviting what she thought would be 20 or so women to lunch at a local restaurant, quickly snowballed into an event with hundreds of followers expressing interest and support.
In response, Andrea curated an experience that went beyond commiseration, incorporating music and dance and drawing inspiration from the Racial Equity in Journalism Fund’s Kaleidoscope conference, hosted in Charlotte, North Carolina earlier this year. “I realized that dancing is a feeling that we don’t give enough attention to,” she explained. “If I allowed [attendees] to dance, find their joy, and to love on one another… when it was time for me to sit and have a serious conversation, our souls would be fed.”
In an almost synchronistic turn of events, the week leading up to the ladies’ lunch – trending as #LunchWithMuva – was energized by dozens of nationwide virtual calls with hundreds of thousands of women expressing support for Vice President Kamala Harris, who is making Philadelphia one of her first campaign stops.
The in-person gathering and overwhelming response to the lunch have sparked ideas for a potential tour, bringing these conversations to women across the country. Additionally, Andrea plans to launch a new podcast, “A Lawful Truth,” which will allow her to continue having impactful conversations on her own terms.
As our conversation drew to a close, Andrea shared a powerful reflection on recent events: “What was supposed to bury me turned me into a plant that is in bloom.” This sentiment encapsulates not only Andrea’s personal journey but also the impact of resilience, optimism, community support, and, of course, love.
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