Sarah Klepner

sarah.klepner@gmail.com

I am seeking election to WBAI’s Local Station Board in order to contribute to the struggle that is underway for the heart of WBAI, and Pacifica as a whole, in order to truly preserve the Pacifica mission, and to serve the human community.

I uphold the anti-racist and community-grounded direction of the station before the recent ouster of Program Director Bernard White and General Manager Anthony Riddle. WBAI needs to be a hub for activism as well as a source of information. The world cries out for a major media outlet that encourages participation in social justice efforts.

There are multiple worlds hewn from race and class that are interwoven in this society. I believe it is impossible to overstate the importance of eliminating white supremacy. This is a key point of contention, as far as I can tell, in this struggle for control of WBAI and Pacifica. WBAI has been taken over by people who are using financial problems as an excuse for stifling all opposition in the name of “saving the station.” Their solution reveals their politics: they refused to go to the ground of WBAI – its listenership – and ask for real assistance to solve a financial crunch, and more importantly, address political differences. Not only have they imposed a gag rule and manipulated sound levels at the few moments that opposition has been voiced, but they have stonewalled listeners who have questioned them. As I have learned from students of China, the only liberating way forward is to seek to bring everyone into running the society: if we want a better world, we better know how to act in it!

I believe that our society is chronically disempowered. Under Bernard White as Program Director, WBAI has served the efforts of people here and around the world to gain control over their livelihoods and to transform their communities. We need more of this, not less! For instance, let’s hear more from the people who are organizing to defend undocumented immigrants from raids and physical attacks, and more from people who are finding ways to stop environmental degradation.

I think that some people who are embracing the new management are doing so because they feel that it is a mistake to challenge this society head-on, believing instead that a focus on the development of individual consciousness is preferable. Personally, I feel that this perspective is a crucial element of building a just society inasmuch as a sense of connectedness with all life can give rise to a determination to address injustices. However, this “New Age” approach cannot take the place of direct attention to matters of social, political, economic, and racial justice, which the programming at WBAI should reflect.

I am a member of the Coalition to Take Back WBAI. I support the return of Bernard White to the position of Program Director, as well as all other staff who have been removed by the current management.