Tibby Brooks (organizer, NY Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition; Palestine solidarity activist) |
|
|
WBAI Candidate Questionnaire 1. Why do you want to be on the Local Station Board? I see this period as a critical juncture in the fight-back against the tidal wave of privatization and displacement. I want to ensure WBAI’s independent, anti-corporate survival along the lines of the WBAI Justice & Unity Campaign (www.justiceunity.org) platform supporting continued activist programming and affirmative action outreach. 2. How do you envision the Local Station Board working with the Pacifica Foundation, WBAI, and the community? We’re talking about three 3 fingers of a hand; if we work together, then we make a fist that can repel any attempt to take over WBAI (or indeed the Pacifica Network). I believe that Justice & Unity’s platform can help the Board serve as a model (for Pacifica, our station, and the New York community) for anti-racist action with zero-tolerance for racist speech. I also subscribe to Justice & Unity’s position that the Board must adhere to a strong affirmative-action program and anti-racist training, as well as ensuring staff, committee, and candidate diversity (and that of the Board itself). 3. How could the station better serve its listeners? We’re beginning to hear more youth over WBAI, and I fully endorse and want to promote this development. WBAI should organize more forums on various social issues within different communities. One way of doing this would be to co-sponsor events with community-based organizations (CBOs), which now occurs to a limited extent and usually as a fundraiser. A vital aspect of civil rights is the right to run for office on a level playing field, an aspect that has been negated by the corrupting influence of gobs of money spent on private mailings to WBAI’s members in prior elections. I will advocate for rules that make for lucre-free elections in Pacifica. This would also be a model for more democratic elections in the larger society. 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. As I noted in #3, above, there is more programming by and about youth. I think the station can do more in this and in the direction of other underrepresented communities. The co-sponsorship of forums with different CBOs can lead to broadcasting of these events over WBAI, including bilingual programs. Justice & Unity’s proposal for multichannel expansion can definitely enlarge our horizons—imagine ethnomusicology, drama, multinational broadcasting! 5. What sources of funding, other than listener donations, do you feel WBAI should solicit? I believe that Justice & Unity’s proposal for a capital campaign to own our space (hopefully with other progressive organizations) could free us from the long-term burden of greedy, lord-of-the-land rental expenses. We should also tap into individuals in the progressive sector (often attached to the nonprofit community) that have sufficient funds to patronize Left cultural events, such as award dinners, art auctions, and theatre parties. But we should definitely not look to corporate underwriting! 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’ve done political organizing since high school and have learned to listen to what motivates people to act (and what scares them into inaction). While petitioning to get my own name on the Justice & Unity slate, I discovered that many activists are not dues-paying members of WBAI, and I’m trying to find a solution to that big hole in the budget. Because I’m personally comfortable with several languages and cultures, I feel sure I can join with other LSB members to reach out to a wider listenership for our station. I pledge to find a humane alternative to conducting meetings according to Robert’s Rules of Order, with its paralyzing, counterproductive procedures. 7. Do you anticipate missing any Local Station Board meetings due to family- or job- related problems or inadequate transportation? No. I work a flexible schedule in order to ensure the fulfillment of my Movement obligations. 8. On which Local Station Board committees are you interested in actively serving? I am interested in serving on the Membership, Outreach, and Fundraising Committee, since it can provide the most contact with listeners and future listeners. I want to utilize my organizing skills to help WBAI grow. Please contact me with questions or comments at tibby@justiceunity.org.
|
