I am running for re-election to the Local Station Board (LSB) with the WBAI Justice and Unity Campaign (www.justiceunity.org), which has been endorsed by a diverse range of activist organizations. I have been an active board member for the past 5 years. I’ve also been a Union organizer for 1199, New York’s progressive health care union, for several years. As an activist during most of my life, I’ve been involved in women’s issues, stopping proposed Medicare/Medicaid cuts, and anti-war activities. Since May, WBAI has undergone an unacceptable coup. National Pacifica, with backing of the LSB majority, has summarily removed the General Manager, fired and banned the Program Director, and abruptly fired unpaid staff members – all without due process. The California-based WBAI interim management claims to be honoring labor contracts, but has so far refused to even respond to – let alone address – grievances from the unpaid staff union about serious violations of unpaid producers’ rights.
The LSB majority and interim management are intent on changing programming to value celebrity, and bring back tired voices from days of old, while giving less access to unheard community voices. They are prioritizing money over mission, using a very real global financial crisis to mask the political changes they have sought for many years.
Justice & Unity stands for returning Pacifica to its former respect for self-determination and control in each local area regarding decisions about the area’s station. We will work to ensure that Pacifica and WBAI continue the tradition of providing a voice for activists and for the disenfranchised – such as New York’s large Mexican community. (I’m particularly thrilled to be running along with two committed organizers of Latino workers and immigrants, Wellington Echegaray and Carlos Canales.)
We recognize the serious financial crisis facing WBAI and Pacifica. Justice & Unity has proposed strategies that have been blocked by the local board majority. Two examples:
* An off-air fundraising plan was due over a year ago. The LSB majority ignored the plan developed jointly by staff, the board and the former General Manager until this June, after Justice & Unity insisted on its passage.
* A capital campaign organized by Justice & Unity to acquire different facilities for WBAI was approved by the former General Manager and ready to be implemented when he was removed from his position.
It’s important to know that this LSB majority was elected with the aid of a slick, expensive, fact-challenged mailing to the ‘BAI membership, which was found to be in violation of several election rules.
We need an electoral victory for candidates who are genuinely committed to living the mission of Pacifica and WBAI, not those who mouth the words but act very differently. So please vote for all of the Justice & Unity candidates in the following order:
Lynne Stewart
Nia Bediako
Russell Dale
Sister Betty Dopson
Wellington Echegaray
Nana Camille Yarbrough
Myriam Decime
John Brinkley
Berta Silva
Sharonne Salaam
Carlos Canales
Terrence Podolsky
Thank you for your consideration.
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