I am a seasoned social-justice activist who will advocate widely for WBAI. My vision for the station is as a space for forging a path forward for all humanity at a time of sharpening political, economic, and environmental challenges, and furthering the development of truly progressive radio (www.justiceunity.org).
sarah.klepner@gmail.com * (212) 591-2111
I want to join the Local Station Board as a member of the Justice and Unity Campaign (www.justiceunity.org) and the Take Back WBAI Coalition (www.takebackwbai.org) because I am deeply concerned about the current leadership at WBAI, and I want to participate in shaping the station’s direction together with those who value truly progressive media.
I spent 7 years as an activist in Chicago, 6 with the Revolutionary Communist Youth Brigade. I lived in the Cabrini-Green housing project, where I helped people organize to resist attacks on the community as well as on other marginalized groups. More recently, I have organized two Black history events and done the publicity for a seven-part (and counting) social-action film series in New Jersey.
I bring to the LSB a commitment to involving–as listeners and contributors–those who are currently at a disadvantage in our society. I believe this is the way forward for WBAI: to connect communities in the metro area with each other and the world, to be in the service of people’s struggles for self-determination both here and elsewhere around the world, and to be supported largely by those who are currently denied an active voice in the mainstream.
I bring to the LSB the ability to reach out to diverse communities, gained through hundreds of hours of engaging the public in political discussion as an activist. One of my important strengths is my willingness to do “cold” calls and visits. Holding WBAI in great esteem, I will be an effective ambassador to the communities that the LSB designates for outreach.
The abrupt removal last spring of 29-year WBAI veteran Bernard White, an individual with deep ties to many NYC communities, from his position as Program Director, bespeaks a different orientation on the part of the current Local Station Board majority. The justification for this action was that the station was in dire financial straits (although the Program Director isn’t responsible for station finances). However, the new management has not taken their responsibility very seriously.
LaVarn Williams, who suspended and fired Bernard White just after his return from sick leave, produced a FY 10 budget four months late. When she left her management position at WBAI this past January, she still had not produced a fully documented budget and had allowed approximately $100,000 in lost uncollected installment payments. As a relatively conscious individual in an age of media consolidation, I find this management conduct very worrisome!
The fact is, with Bernard White as Program Director, WBAI served the efforts of people here and around the world to gain control over their lives and empower their communities. We need more of this, not less!
Please vote for the complete Justice and Unity slate in the following order:
1. Bernard White
2. Suzanne Adely
3. John Brinkley
4. Father Lawrence Lucas
5. Ray Laforest
6. Wellington Echegaray
7. Sharonne Salaam
8. Linda Bergnes
9. Myriam Decime
10. Carlos Canales
11. Sarah Klepner
12. Henry Hagins
13. Eugene Hamond
sarah.klepner@gmail.com * (212) 591-2111
1. Why do you want to be on the Local Station Board (LSB)?
I want to be on the Local Station Board because I am concerned about the direction in which the station is going, and want to be part of an effort to turn it back in the direction of Pacifica’s mission.
2. How do you envision the LSB working with the Pacifica Foundation, WBAI staff and listener members?
I envision the Local Station Board working in consultation with the Pacifica Foundation, while maintaining full local autonomy and embracing the full spectrum of programming at WBAI, and seeking to maximize community involvement, especially the participation of marginalized communities.
3. How can WBAI better serve the community? Please define community.
The station can better serve the community by actively recruiting people from various backgrounds to promote the station in their communities and encourage participation in deciding the direction of the station. “Community,” in my mind, refers to a group that shares an identity on some level. We all belong to multiple communities.
4. 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.
I would begin by urging the station to print postcards that promote the station and list the program schedule for citywide grassroots distribution. I would also support and contribute to organizing events across the metro area to spark community involvement in WBAI.
5. What sources of funding, other than listener donations, do you feel WBAI should solicit? Do you have any ideas with respect to improving the current funding mechanisms?
WBAI could consider seeking funding from foundations that would support programs that serve their mission – though the station would retain full control of the programs’ content.
6. 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 bring a background of 6 years of on-the-ground activism in Chicago, as a member of the Revolutionary Communist Youth Brigade (RCYB). I lived and worked in the Cabrini-Green housing project. I have a great deal of experience in approaching people about a whole range of social and political issues, which I feel can be brought to bear on the challenge of involving listeners. The political education I received in the course of working with the RCYB is also a valuable tool. I have a B.A. in philosophy from Rutgers University. Most of my paid work experience has been in food service, though I have done some freelance writing, and worked briefly for a newspaper in central New Jersey (where I currently live).
7. 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 am interested in actively serving on the Programming Committee. I would also sponsor a motion to reestablish the Membership, Outreach and Fundraising Committee, as this body was allowed to lapse by the current board majority.
8. If you are currently on the Board and wish to be re-elected please describe your 3 year experience on the LSB. What did you accomplish? What were the obstacles you faced? Do you envision any change in the next three years if you are re-elected?
Not applicable.
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