King Downing

Each day, the world faces greater crises.

At home, communities of color feel the sting while organizing against both economic violence and the physical violence of over-policing by those who see us as problems to be contained. Abroad, movements are building toward freedom and equity.

WBAI needs to again become the place to get the truth about massive problems and fightbacks. And if we expect WBAI to be here to give us the word or a voice, we must address WBAI’s economic and political crises by genuine and honest discussion and collaborative action.

I’m running for reelection to the WBAI Local Station Board with the WBAI Justice & Unity Campaign (justiceunity.com).

I am an advocate, analyst, and educator. My life has been committed to human rights and justice: as a lawyer, Harlem resident, and member of progressive organizations, including the National Lawyers Guild, Law for Black Lives, Ferguson Legal Defense Committee, National Police Accountability Project, NY Copwatch, the People’s Survival Program, and the Campaign to End the New Jim Crow.

A listener since the late 1980s, I’ve also been a guest, a co-host of “Emanations” during the Samori Marksman era, and a substitute host on “Where We Live.”

WBAI is out of the Wall Street district and into a Brooklyn neighborhood, and out of the Empire State Building and into a lower-rent tower at 4 Times Square, but we need a capital plan and a campaign to build in resiliency.

You can’t change what you can’t manage:

• We need a permanent Program Director.

• Programs must reflect the new youth, people of color, and our Spanish-language neighbors.

• It’s the board’s responsibility to do the personnel search, but leadership on the Board has been lacking.

• We need a permanent Development Director. No serious nonprofit funds its needs without one.

You can’t manage what you don’t measure:

Management’s performance must be regularly evaluated. SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timed) objectives must be designed and applied to all WBAI operations. In turn, management must evaluate staff and programming. Management, programmers, and the board should solicit and use listener feedback through on-air call-ins, mandated town hall meetings, and surveys.

I am a principled mediator and conciliator. I’m an active listener. I can step back and hear what people are saying, even those “across the table” (who have not appeared at the “table” consistently of late).

I want to continue to be your voice on the WBAI Local Station Board. I urge you to vote for all the Justice & Unity candidates–endorsed by Bernard White, Michael Tarif Warren, Father Lawrence Lucas, the Free Mumia Coalition, Larry Hamm and People’s Organization for Progress, and NAKO, among others. Please use the following rank order to maximize the value of your vote (it is not a reflection of the personal value of any of us as candidates).

• Why do you want to be on the Local Station Board?

  I consider WBAI to be a precious entity and I'd like to promote it and make it stronger.

• How do you envision the Local Station Board working with the Pacifica Foundation, WBAI and the community?

  At the present time these four bodies are totally isolated and insulated. There is no two-way communication. Also, there is a feeling of powerlessness among some LSB members, and unless we begin changing some of the By-Laws and practices that prevent these three groups from having greater openness and being able to exchange ideas, we will be missing out on crucial opportunities to bring WBAI forward.

• How could the station better serve its listeners?

  A fundamental issue for WBAI is to maintain its mission and keep its promises to its supporters. There are listeners who donated many, many dollars and still have not received their promised premiums.

• Describe some actions you would take to increase the influence of the station in underrepresented communities and to increase the diversity of the listening audience?

  WBAI should do outreach to more Community Organizations and offer internships to young folks. We should also be in diverse communities to broadcast and conduct on-the-spot interviews from their celebrations, events, conferences, etc.

• What sources of funding, other than listener donations, do you feel WBAI should solicit?

  I think we should have an Annual WBAI Party to honor an outstanding progressive worker, artist, etc. It was done once many years ago. We should also have live auctions with a musical component.

• Please state briefly the skills, experience, educational background, work history, organizational affiliations, areas of community service, areas of interest and expertise that you would bring to the Pacifica network as a member of the Local Station Board.

  I have worked for many years as an organizer, educator, and progressive union chapter leader. I have very good organizing skills. I am now retired and can devote more time to WBAI. We desperately need help with strategic planning and fundraising. I am currently affiliated with a progressive organizational-development/capacity-building firm and can access some free technical assistance and tools to help WBAI.

• Do you anticipate missing any Local Station Board meetings due to family or job related problems or inadequate transportation?

  My attendance at LSB meetings has been very steady throughout my present term, and I do not anticipate any problems out of the ordinary that would prevent me from maintaining this high level of attendance.

• On which Local Station Board committees* are you interested in actively serving? If you are a current Local Station Board member, on which committees do you currently serve?

  I could serve on one or two LSB Committees: the Committee of Inclusion and / or the Program Director Search Committee.