Sharonne Salaam

I’m asking to return to the WBAI Local Station Board with the Justice and Unity Campaign (www.justiceunity.org) because the mission and survival of WBAI are at increased risk. While the station’s and network’s financial situation became ever more perilous, opposition board members tried to stymie any action by the LSB to address urgent issues, engaging in a 1-year boycott that made the achievement of a quorum impossible and then arbitrarily cancelling or randomly scheduling meetings for the next two years. Nevertheless, together with fellow Justice and Unity members, I worked to develop a far-reaching fundraising plan mandated by the Pacifica National Board and served on the only General Manager Evaluation Committee convened in years. That committee’s report, reflecting hundreds of work-hours including surveying and interviewing producers and other staff, was casually thrown out by those who’ve dominated the LSB and the station for more than 10 years.

You probably know of me because my son Yusef is one of #theExonerated5, formerly known as the Central Park 5. Those innocent teenaged Black and Latino boys were wrongly arrested and convicted of raping a white woman in Central Park. WBAI was a powerful and indispensable ally in the long struggle to clear their names and obtain compensation for police and prosecutorial misconduct. As a result of my son’s wrongful arrest, I embarked on a career of community activism serving children and families in and out of prison, with special attention to the foster-care system in New York City.

I founded and directed People United for Children, and over a period of 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. The skills in negotiating, mediating, and helping others understand their rights that I developed as a self-trained social worker have served the board well, and I am more than willing to put them at the service of WBAI once again. Since my retirement I have been volunteering with Justice 4 The Wrongfully Incarcerated on legislation to help the victims and their families have a new start, and to discourage government agents from the abuses that led to the boys serving a total of 41 years.

I continue to be concerned about the overall shortfall of programming for communities of color. These communities have always strongly supported WBAI, and failing to serve them adequately hurts the station badly.

I am dedicated to returning WBAI to its vital mission – promoting understanding between peoples by airing the many unheard community voices.

Please rank ALL the Justice and Unity candidates in the following order on your ballot, to maximize the value of your vote (this will ensure that the highest possible number of us will be elected):

We recommend the Arise slate—Rank them 8, 9, and 10 in whatever order you prefer.:

• What experience, connections, skills or traits would you bring to the local station board to advance the station’s mission?

  I’ve worked on many issues related to the surrounding communities in the WBAI listening area and am familiar with the needs of these communities. I am a founder of People United for Children (PUC), and have been its Executive Director. I received my B.A. from Empire State College and an A.A.S. from the Fashion Institute of Technology, and worked in the fashion industry for fifteen years before the wrongful arrest of my son Yusef led to a new career in activism, which I have been pursuing for 30 years. I have been the recipient of numerous awards for my work and my commitment to community service. I have served on Community Board 10 in Central Harlem and have been a Revson Fellow at Columbia University, where I focused on marketing, management, and media in order to further develop PUC’s outreach programs and expand its capacity to serve the community and New York City. One thing that keeps me grounded is being the proud mother of Aisha, Yusef, and Shaf.

• What do you appreciate and value in the station’s current operations?

  Increasing the listener voice through open phones on some programs has been very positive, because it makes the listeners feel connected to the station. I am looking forward to the full use of a new studio. It’s my hope that we can take listener involvement further by making it possible for the listeners to have more of an impact on what is being put before them in the programming; for example, we could use a questionnaire to learn what kinds of programs they think WBAI should be airing. The slight increase in local programming is welcome.

• What would you like to see improved or changed in the station’s current operations?

  More training programs for young people to teach them radio and help get them involved in the station is very much needed, to get them ready to move the station forward and to assure the station’s survival for generations to come. We need much more locally produced programming that speaks directly to the issues impacting on our constituent communities, especially communities of color. I am most eager to expand outreach to local communities and work with younger people. I would be very interested in working with board colleagues who have connections in communities other than the ones in which I already work, as I have a willingness both to collaborate and share information that I have acquired in my work as a community organizer that might be helpful to others, and to learn from their experiences.

• Describe what you anticipate would be your top three priorities or areas of focus if you were elected to the local station board.

  1. Integrating the community into WBAI listener-sponsored radio. 2. Impressing on Pacifica and local management the importance of local programming that serves the many different communities in the tri-state area. 3. Working on ways to maximize fundraising.

• Sustainability is an important part of any nonprofit operation. What are your thoughts on how the board can help to improve the station’s financial footing?

  Taking WBAI on the road, out into the many communities in the tri-state area and to events and festivals, would bring in more listeners, and I can help with that; in fact, I have experience in organizing fundraising events, and am very happy to work on any events that get WBAI out into the community. I also have experience in grant writing, and am happy to collaborate in any such efforts, in collaboration with station management and board members who are actually willing to pull together to keep WBAI alive. It’s my belief that the better WBAI serves disenfranchised communities, the wider our scope will be and the more listeners and support we will attract. I also believe the board should give serious consideration to partnering with MNN.

• Is there anything else you would like prospective voters to know?

  As the mother of one of the #theExonerated5, I have long known how to work across party lines and get along with others and get things done. Please vote for me and everyone on the Justice & Unity slate.