Greetings,

Thanks for taking the time to read these important updates about WBAI and its people:

• WBAI and Pacifica elections. Voting Guide: Ballot release date is Saturday, August 15, 2026
• In appreciation for our common struggle

WBAI & PACIFICA ELECTIONS

Media, whether for information or entertainment, is everywhere all the time and long before our children have knowledge of themselves, soul-less systems have begun to condition them to accept cultural appropriation and consumerism.

Designed to platform community voices, amplify the voices of underserved groups, and explore the causes of conflict, WBAI and the other four Pacifica stations are different. We have a mission to use arts and information to enhance human existence.

Today on 'BAI in varying degrees and in our remarkable Pacifica Radio Archives, there are discussions you will hear no place else:

• Listen to James Baldwin, who would have been 102 last week, in 1961 on a fledgling BAI, with Lorraine Hansberry and Langston Hughes: Listen here →
• Listen Any Saturday with David Rothenberg at 8am. Start Hump Day (Wednesday) with Linda Sarsour at 7am. End your workweek at 5pm on Friday with Inez and Charles Barron.

No one does it like 'BAI.

We strongly recommend the following candidates for seats on the Pacifica National Board (PNB). They have the experience, inclination, and critical thinking skills required to support our staff and listeners through the minefield that is described in Project 2025. And they will not secretly vote to change our bylaws and silence opposition.

Choose leaders who deserve you:

PACIFICA NATIONAL BOARD (PNB)

(Click on the name to see Candidate Statements)

• Chair: Dr. Julianne Malveaux
• Vice-Chair: Perri "Mama PK" McCary
• Secretary: Donna Carter
  Removed from ballot.
• Treasurer: Kamau Harris
  Removed from ballot.
• WBAI Station Listener Director: Sharonne Salaam
  Blocked from the ballot.

STAFF ONLY — National Staff Reps:

• Ninel Centeno and Sally Gellert

WBAI LOCAL STATION BOARD (LSB)

We exclusively recommend:

• Chair: Bounubti Kamenthou
• Vice Chair: Eleanor Elizabeth Forman
• Outreach: John Brinkley
• Membership/Fundraising: Bruce Greif

STAFF ONLY — LSB Staff Rep:

• Queen Mother Imakhu / Elaine Lloyd-Nazario

Learn more about the Pacifica Mission Coalition at: pacificamissioncoalition.com

*If, between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026, you donated at least $25, or volunteered 3 hours, or requested a hardship waiver, but did not receive an email about these elections or upcoming candidate forums, there's a problem. Immediately write to: NES@pacifica.org and copy: PacificaMissionCoalition@gmail.com. If you donated at least $50 in that period, request a ballot for that second household member.

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In Appreciation for Our Common Struggle

We share the sad news that several people who spent time behind WBAI's mics have transitioned to ancestorship. Some shifted days or weeks ago, others in 2025:

July 30, 2026
Prof. Johanna Fernandez, author of "The Young Lords: A Radical History" and former BAI morning show host. Mumia must be heartbroken.
Memorial to come →

July 15, 2026
Denise Oliver-Velez, a Young Lords leader and Black Panther member, and founding Program Director of our Washington, DC sister station, WPFW.
Memorial to follow →

June 5, 2026
Prof. Howard Jordan, host of The Jordan Journal and Chair of the Dept. of Behavioral & Social Sciences at Hostos Community College.
Memorial in September →

June 20, 2025
Valerie van Isler, journalist and former WBAI General Manager.
Memorial video →

February 20, 2025
Brother Shine, host of Night Drum, co-founder of African Descendants Awareness Movement (ADAM), who nurtured poets and revered his elders.
Please share your memories at info@justiceunity.org. Memorial to follow.

With their various talents, intellect and passion, they expanded our worlds. We are forever grateful.

We know that you may also have experienced more intimate losses and that some days just seem impossible.

Breathe.

Remember that you are the fulfillment of your ancestors' wildest dreams! Eat well, exercise, avoid excess except in action for liberation, and as the late Toni Short would regularly remind, surround yourself with people who respect and treat you well.

In Struggle,
Justice & Unity Campaign