I am running for the Pacifica National Board again because my experience serving on the WBAI Local Station Board and the national board has made it clear that stations can best thrive if the network is working together toward the common goal of serving our communities, and the national board can best function when it focuses closely on fulfilling the mission.
I am proud to be a part of the Pacifica Mission Coalition which brings together talented, diverse people committed to building Pacifica’s future with respect, equity, and transparency lead by Dr. Julianne Malveaux as board chair.
My son Yusef was one of the five innocent boys wrongly arrested and convicted of raping a white woman in Central Park. After my son’s wrongful arrest, my career in the fashion industry and as a professor of design at Parsons School of design (I am a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology) was cut short owing to the outpouring of hatred directed at my employers, largely as a result of the bigoted and prejudicial coverage of my son’s case in the corporate media. During the long struggle to defend the falsely accused African American and Latino boys –and ultimately to clear them of all wrongdoing – WBAI was a powerful and indispensable ally. WBAI helped get the truth out when most other media were joining the voices of accusation and refusing to air the truth. This is how I first became involved with WBAI and why I am determined to keep WBAI strong, together with the other Pacifica stations and affiliates.
After my son’s conviction, I embarked on a career of community activism to help other people caught up in the carceral system. I founded People United for Children, which served children and families in and out of prison, with a special emphasis on children in New York’s foster-care system who were being fed into the carceral system. Over nearly two decades, our work led to thousands of children being reunited with their biological parents, as well as policy changes in the child-welfare system. I am also a founding member of Justice 4 the Wrongfully Incarcerated (J4wi) which organizes criminal law talks, conversations with local communities regarding issues with the law, and visits with incarcerated people.
My work in J4wi led me to the Mohammed Bah Legacy Project, and in 2022, I began working with that organization securing medicines, medical supplies and equipment, and school supplies for various West African countries.
This work has been important to the mission of Justice 4 the Wrongfully Incarcerated which believes in reciprocity.
During my tenure on the Local Station Board I helped design the plan to revive WBAI’s finances and served on the General Manager Evaluation Committee, the Town Hall working group, and the Committee of Inclusion. In this time, I’ve further developed the skills in negotiating, mediating, and helping others understand their rights that I acquired as a self-trained social worker – skills that may be invaluable for the Pacifica National Board.