As a listener to WBAI, my journey of almost 30 years with the station has known many ups and downs. I was introduced to the station as a student activist ready to follow in the footsteps of people like Elombe Brath, one of my elders at that time, whose consistent and long-standing example of scholarship and service to his community led me to a role in community media. In my first truly empowering role as an independent producer of the Public Access show, The Melanin Chronicles, I learned the key disciplines of journalism and activism.
As a life-long student, an organizer, a union member employed in the corporate audio-visual industry and even as a parent I’ve put my dogged persistence for truth and justice to productive use over the
years.
WBAI has been an integral part of my media consumption since my early realizations that the American corporate press did not have a track record of serving, nor were the Ruling Class owner/operators of their media machines likely to ever give an honest attempt at changing the systemic impact on these enabling forces of oppression. In this respect, the mission of WBAI has been very close to my professional, social, political, cultural and even economic intentions to undermine the American and global forces of White Supremacist Patriarchy and Imperialist war-making. Of late, my role as a listener has found me less than satisfied with the many program-interrupting fund-drives and the lack of diversity in on-air programming pertaining to the New York Tri-State Area outside of the five boroughs of New York City. In my estimation, an increased allowance for Progressive reportage on and social engagement with these non-NYC regions within the broadcast range of the 99.5 FM signal may bring increased listener interest, a more consistent membership population and better sustainability for WBAI as this “win-win” strategy should lead to a better informed listenership, a wider range of material support and a more effective pool of potential participants in the ongoing struggle of WBAI to contribute to the American experiment known as “democracy”.
I’m ready to make the commitment to our listener/members as we endeavor to thrive, not simply survive and become more involved and effective at saving the last bastion of truly independent “Peace and Justice Radio” as well.
More about my candidacy, allies, and endorsers at justiceunity.org.
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