Five Mualimm-ak

My name is Five Mualimm-ak, and I am running for reelection to the WBAI Local Station Board with the Justice & Unity Campaign (www.justiceunity.org).

I was born a listener to WBAI – my mother was the first social worker for Project Greenhope, assisting women coming home from incarceration. I sometimes slept in the reentry house, and I remember hearing women who’d listen to the radio and say that was how they got the information that made it possible for them to come home. I’m not sure if my mother was the first WBAI buddy, but she was certainly a proud WBAI member and would carry the WBAI tote bag every day – defending, she said, public freedom of expression. I’ve watched her use that bag as a way of engaging people and persuading them to become members.

Now I work in public health, training NYC credible messengers, who include mentors, violence interrupters, and hospital responders who work with youth impacted by the “justice” system, as an alternative to incarceration. During the past decade I have built several nonprofit programs that support incarcerated people and their families. I teach at the New School, among other institutions of higher learning, with the Institute for Transformative Mentoring, the first credible-messenger training program in NYC, which is responsible for over 54% of the reduction in crime in the city, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio.

I was incarcerated for twelve years before exoneration through the Innocence Project’s work. I am now the president and CEO of Incarcerated Nation, which is a collective of post-incarcerated leaders working to end mass incarceration, and I’m active in the campaign to end solitary confinement. I’m acutely aware of the role WBAI plays in serving the incarcerated and the post-incarcerated communities; I worked very closely with “On the Count” for several years, watching and listening as the needs of the station grew until I felt moved to participate in a serious effort to safeguard its wellbeing.

I joined the board to bring my organizing skills to the service of WBAI. I have done many fundraising campaigns, such as the Hip-Hop for Human Rights concert, which I organized to bring national attention to solitary confinement; I’ve used concerts and speak-outs as a way of raising funds for such causes as voter-registration drives with the ACLU. One great fundraising effort was a mass bailout, in which thousands of people were bailed out from Rikers Island. I believe we need massive actions that can bring in large sums for the station’s stability and growth.

We cannot afford to lose this priceless resource. Please vote for me and the entire Justice & Unity slate. 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’m the president and CEO of Incarcerated Nation, which is a collective of post-incarcerated leaders who work to end mass incarceration. During the past decade I have built several nonprofit programs that support the incarcerated and their families. I currently teach at the New School, among other institutions of higher learningplaces, with the Institute for Transformative Mentoring. I have done many fundraising campaigns and organized fundraising events for a wide variety of causes.

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

  The one thing I most appreciate most is that on WBAI, New Yorkers have a freedom to express themselves – in a day and age when oppressed people have no platform, WBAI is needed more than ever. I do appreciate that there are now a few more locally produced programs.

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

  There should be a real hiring process for staff that impacts the station, with input from both staff members and, in some cases, the board. There could be more local programming with younger voices and a clear process for bringing new programs to the air. We must be especially vigilant about keeping WBAI relevant to the NYC area’s widely diverse population.

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

  1. Raising adequate funds.

  2. Creating a clear path for future membership of the radio station and on the Local Station Board.

  3. Creating harmony on the board so that all board members can work together.

• 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?

  The board can engage in a wide variety of fundraising activities – an area where I have a great deal of expertise. I also believe that we should seriously consider a partnership with MNN, which would not compromise WBAI’s integrity in any way, but which would bring new resources to our mission: state-of-the-art equipment, training, and help with fundraising.

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

  WBAI is a priceless resource for the many communities in NYC that are ignored and marginalized by mainstream media. I want to use my experience, skills, and resources to make sure that the station not only survives, but thrives.