My name is Betty J. Dopson and I seek to become a member of the WBAI Local Station Board. I am proud to be running with the WBAI Justice and Unity Campaign (www.justiceunity.org).
I am a longtime listener, supporter and member of the station. I have a thirty-year history of activity in the area of media activism. I have led many campaigns against racist media, including the very successful “Postbuster” Campaign by CEMOTAP (Committee to Eliminate Media Offensive to African People) against the New York Post and the successful fight in the 1990s to get hate radio hosts Bob Grant and Jay Diamond off of WABC-AM. I also have experience in the production of free media, having hosted several Cable TV programs during the 1980s and 1990s on cable networks in Queens and Manhattan. On at least one occasion I guest hosted a program on WBAI for Rosemari Mealy.
I know that the grassroots community has benefited immensely from the Pacifica mission to bring a voice to the voiceless. Many of the successful struggles against injustice could not have happened without the open airwaves of WBAI.
I have skills as an organizer and fundraiser and enjoy widespread support from organizations and individuals who function as advocates for the civil and human rights of the disadvantaged. I served for many years as the Director of Public Relations at Harlem Hospital. While there, I founded several successful fundraising and public-relations programs. I have already helped organize a number of successful fundraisers for WBAI and for various hosts of public-affairs shows, including Gil Noble, Imhotep Gary Byrd, Earl Caldwell and, ironically, both Utrice Leid and Bernard White. I would be more than willing to use my experience to help improve the financial situation at WBAI.
The current Pacifica purge violates the essence, foundation and character of WBAI. Of the hundreds of radio stations across the dial, WBAI stands alone as the true representative of the many cultures and rich diversity of New York. A focused collective effort must be made to counteract the theft of the authenticity of the station. I want to be a part of that effort.
In summary, I submit my name to be a member of the Local Station Board because I represent the type of active listener supporter and organizer that the station needs. I bring a very specific set of skills and experience that will benefit the station, including experience as an activist, newspaper editor, administrator, and producer and host of broadcast media. Lastly, I believe that with careful organization and effort we will take back WBAI.
Please vote for me and for all of the other Justice & Unity candidates, in this order:
1. Lynne Stewart
2. Nia Bediako
3. Russell Dale
4. Sister Betty Dopson
5. Wellington Echegaray
6. Nana Camille Yarbrough
7. Myriam Decime
8. John Brinkley
9. Berta Silva
10. Sharonne Salaam
11. Carlos Canales
12. Terrence Podolsky
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