Confirmed Candidates for the 2006 Valley Free Radio Board Election
Confirmed Candidates for the 2006 Valley Free Radio Board Election: Bios…
Matt Dineen hosts the program Passions and Survival every Monday from 9-10 am and has recently become a studio manager. He also writes about the collective dilemma of following our passions while surviving in a capitalist society for a variety of websites and print publications. In 2005 he served on the Board of Directors of Rainbow Bookstore Cooperative in Madison, WI before moving to Northampton later that year. He currently works at a local bookstore.
I have extensive experience in both independent radio and the non-profit world. Valley Free Radio is the third radio station I’ve been involved with; I produced shows on WPKN Bridgeport and WESU Middletown, both in Connecticut, prior to moving to the Valley. I’ve taken part in inner political struggles at stations before, and I have a track record of being diplomatic and working for the long-term interests of the station. I also have a lot of background in non-profit and public relations work for social justice. For three years I was the Public Relations Director of a Hartford, CT-based non-profit group called Efficacy, an urban social justice organization that combats institutional racism and classism in the criminal justice system in Connectricut. I managed everything that goes along with a professional public relations operation, such as sending out regular press releases, developing relationships with reporters, and utilizing independent media outlets such as community radio. More recently, I ran public relations for the local organization Mass Voters For Fair Elections, a statewide network that is working for public financing of political campaigns in Massachusetts. So I know how to work at the administrative level, I know how to work cooperatively in a group, and I get things done.
At VFR I have co-produced the show “Parapolitics” for the past year, waking up for the Monday morning 7 am commute to entertain and inform people in the Valley. I have a passion for community radio, as one of the last vestiges of free public expression in a media system controlled by a handful of powerful corporations, and I have a particular affection for VFR!
My name is Cheryl Atim Alexander. I was born in Cooley Dickinson Hospital (a hop, skip and jump from our VFR station) approximately 34 years ago. At the time, my mother and father were students at UMASS, Amherst, studying Education and Philosophy respectively. My parents left America and returned to England, my sister and I in tow, when I was about three years old; my father is Nigerian, from the Yoruba tribe, and my mother is English, Greek and Russian. Refusing to be coopted into/forced to conform to a white, mainstream conceptualization of “race” I consciously choose to identify as a African European woman.
Following my birth in America, I went on to live in Nigeria, Derbyshire, Yorkshire, London, Ireland, and Liverpool, for various periods of time during my life. I also was recently in Greece, where I received a small taste of its history and culture. I came back to Northampton, MA 8 years ago. After completing a self-designed degree at UMASS Amherst, entitled: “Race, Class and Gender”, I continued my studies at Smith College, eventually graduating with a master’s degree in social work. Today my 13 year-old daughter and I live in Amherst, in a rather unique, equity-based Cooperative housing community.
I currently work as a child and family therapist, and also, as the director of a program based in Springfield, MA, designed to provide support to families, many of whom are continuously ravaged by oppressive social forces. I enjoy what I do, and love to operate as an advocate, primarily because I am able to consciously attempt to facilitate the process by which a person may be able to recognize, and trust themselves enough to locate their own self-advocacy skills. I am fundamentally interested in challenging stereotypes, and changing oppressive systems, with particular regard to the areas of mental health, education, and criminal/juvenile justice. I am passionate about many creative pursuits, including singing, dancing, writing (poetry) horse-riding and pottery. I am also interested in extra sensory perception/parapsychology, intuitive healing, and the inspirations and insights that the close study, and practice of such “disciplines” can offer us.
During the time in which I have been involved with VFR, I served on the very first board of directors in the capacity of co-chair. It was also during this time that I believe I developed a broader understanding of oppression and privilege: I came to recognize that everyone is oppressed to varying degrees, and that while it was important to recognize that everyone had some type(s) of privileges, and power in relation to each other, it was crucial that we developed a personal, and collective awareness of our own privileges, the power differences between various forms of privilege, and the differences between the effects that the use/abuse of these privileges had on others. I believe I became aware of how difficult it was for some people to be able to understand, and subsequently accept that they had privilege over someone else, especially if they identified as someone from an oppressed group. I learned to include myself in this category, and now realize that my increasing sense, and understanding of the connectedness of all oppressions has helped to facilitate my interest in owning/looking more closely at any privileges I may have, and in becoming involved in a wide range of social justice/human rights causes, regardless of whether or not, they appear to impact me directly. I am essentially interested in bringing the aforementioned issues to the forefront of the (VFR) community, and believe that continued, gentle discussions, and collectively inspired action with this regard are in accordance with VFR’s mission statement, and guiding vision.
In short, I am interested in serving on the VFR board, again, because, despite the trials and tribulations experienced by myself, and many others at the station, I believe that VFR is a revolutionary entity. I have observed from afar the efforts of many to embark upon a journey of difficult, introspective, and, often, painful work, and have been, in a sense, humbled by what I have seen. Although I am currently a member of the Grievance and Mediation Committee (GMC) I would like to have an even more active role in the growth, and fruition of Valley Free Radio. I am delighted, and excited by the level of programming that exists at VFR. I am inspired by the mix of people involved, and by the flow of energy that beams through the airwaves. I am interested, and committed to continuing to strive to make VFR a safe place for everyone, and believe that my multiple perspectives, relevant training, and dedication to self-improvement/openness will assist with this regard.
Yours Truly,
Cheryl Atim Alexander
CHRISTOPHER M. TINSON is a fourth year PhD student in the W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies at UMass, Amherst. He has been a resident of the Amherst, MA area since moving from California and joining his department in 2003. Chris has diverse organizational experiences ranging from his participation in high school and collegiate athletics to all areas of student government at both undergraduate and graduate levels. He has served in numerous student government capacities, including chair of the Africana Studies Student Association, founding chair of the statewide California State University Multicultural Council, chairman of the Black Students Association, student member of the Faculty Senate, as well as serving as student body Vice President of Academic Affairs, as an undergraduate.
As a graduate student Chris has continued to build on his experiences and expand his knowledge base. Guided by the late historian, John Henrik Clarke’s maxim that a people without a history have no future, Chris has committed himself to the study of the historical experiences, ideas and movements of African descendants throughout the world. His dissertation, which is an inquiry into the history of Black Radicalism in the 1960s, is an extention of his commitment to social consciousness, responsibility and activism. His firm belief that Hip Hop music can be a force for social change stems from his love and respect for Hip Hop culture and his participation in raising awareness of political prisoners, police brutality, and the attacks on public education since the 1980s, while a student in the Los Angeles area. As a graduate student, Chris has organized a Pan-African Studies Graduate Collective, served as founding secretary of the Black Graduate Student Organization, participated in national and international academic conferences, and taught classes at UMass and Hampshire College.
Inspired by KRS-One’s idea of EDUTAINMENT, which suggests that Hip Hop culture can and should be both entertaining and educational, Chris co-founded TRGGR: A Journal of Grassroots Intellectual Thought, out of which TRGGRadio was formed. Chris is also an Assistant Residence Director at UMass, Amherst where he serves as both supervisor, mentor and educator to a Resident Assistant staff of 19 and an office staff of 6, who proivide a range of administrative and residence services to roughly 580 students. Since joining Valley Free Radio last spring, Chris has regularly attended programming meetings, has recently volunteered to serve on the scheduling subcommittee, and will soon begin Studio Manager training.
One of the critical advantages of working at Valley Free Radio is that it affords programmers and programs such as TRGGRadio the opportunity to engage in the transmission and exchange of ideas and perspectives that challenges us to think deeply and inspires us to act. By accepting the nomination to run for the VFR Board, Chris believes that his voice will continue efforts presently underway to assist VFR implement its vision and mission effectively and consistently through quality programming that our community of listeners will appreciate. Finally, Chris believes in the potential of Valley Free Radio to be a critical and essential service to a broad community of social change agents who are truly committed to social justice, equality and freedom.
My name is Jessica Levy, and I am running for the Valley Free Radio Board of Directors.
I first became involved with VFR back in August 2005, when the station was brand new. I have been a member of the labor collective, and I am a co-host of the Bread & Roses program which airs each Friday night from 6-7pm. In addition to the labor collective, I have also been a member of Western Mass Jobs with Justice for the past three years. I am a workers’ rights advocate, and I am thrilled that VFR provides us with an outlet to discuss this very important topic.
In addition to the above, I am also a third-year law student who is looking forward to representing workers as a labor lawyer. It is very important to me that those who are oppressed have someone who is looking out for their best interests, and who will stand up and speak out on their behalf.
I believe VFR is the vehicle for which both activists and the community as a whole can come together and share their ideas regarding how we can spread the word and communicate with others regarding important issues such as: workers’ rights, anti-discrimination, community concerns, education, resources for low-income persons, etc.
If elected to the Board, I will do everything in my power to promote the Free Speech rights of our community, and to continue finding outlets and resources for all people in our society. VFR has given a voice to many in our community who were silenced before. I will work to empower those who are not being heard, and I will fight to strengthen the rights of ALL people in the Pioneer Valley.
In Solidarity,
Jessica Levy
My name is Jose Tolson. I have been involved in Community Radio since 1974. During that time I have helped train a wide range of student/community organizations on the technical, philosophical, and practical applications of radio programming.
At WMUA in Amherst from 1975 to 1977 I was a member of the “Sunday News Collective”, a group of people trying to bring a more progressive perspective to the news offerings of the time. The Sunday News Collective broadcast an hour long program of progressive news, analysis, public service announcements, and music.
I trained DJs and programmers at WMUA who later went on to do music and public affairs shows. Early members of Concepto Latino, The Women’s Media Project, and BMCP are some of the organizations I helped train. I also produced music programs at WFCR, WTCC, and WEBD (a small short lived station in New Africa House-UMass).
Since coming to WXOJ I have been hosting “COLORS, For a Friday Morning”. I am one of the Studio Managers, training and downloading automation, and I am a member of the African American Collective.
I believe that all people, especially People of Color, should have access to the media. As a Board member I will continue to work in that direction. I also believe that within our organization, everyone’s voice should have a place to be heard with every opinion considered. So that in the end our central goal remains making “WXOJ” a unified progressive voice in the Valley.
I’m currently a doctoral candidate in Afro-American Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where I study Black literary and cultural movements in the Americas. I’m also an instructor in UMass’s Commonwealth College and at Capital Community College in Hartford, CT. I moved to the Pioneer Valley in 2002 from Baltimore, MD, but I’m originally from California (having had lived in both Northern and Southern CA). Although my initial reaction to the area could be characterized as “culture shock,” I have discovered a number of social spaces where I feel “at home,” one of those places being on-air at Valley Free Radio.
Since becoming a part of VFR in February 2006, I’ve endeavored to represent the station, the Hip-Hop collective, and myself in a positive and productive manner. This includes co-producing TRGGRadio with Chris Tinson, attending Programming Committee meetings, and recently becoming a member of the Grievance Committee. Therefore, I would be honored to be elected as a member of the Board in order to help VFR continue to grow and gain a more recognizable presence here in the Valley and across the country via the Internet. I also fully support VFR’s mission statement and will work to strengthen the connection the station has with the surrounding communities; specifically those that are underrepresented and oftentimes invisible here in the Valley. What is more, I believe that the station’s current structure of collectives and committees is essential, because it gives the programmers/members a voice in the direction of VFR, which is rarely the case at corporate-controlled radio stations. With this in mind, I would truly appreciate your support in the upcoming elections for VFR Board.
Peace,
Anthony Ratcliff
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