| My name is Dr. Evelyn Bethune.
I am an original Floridian, transplanted in Houston, TX now for
3 years. I am the granddaughter of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, educator,
activist, advisor to 3 United States Presidents, community care
giver and international peace advocate. I grew up in an environment
that demanded awareness of world issues and participation in the
solution to these issues. I know that public radio is a voice for
the people and in looking at the areas I felt I could best serve
my community, I see KPFT as an essential part of keeping truth in
the fore front. As we fight to keep our civil liberties and regain
a place of respect in the international communities, KPFT plays
a critical role in making information available so that decisions
are not made in a vacuum. I want to be a part of increasing awareness
in underrepresented communities of the power of public radio. I
also hope to be a part of shaping the future for KPFT and diverse
programming that is inclusive of information that addresses the
issues and solutions for problems affecting my community.
I relocated from Atlanta, GA in order to continue my work as a Missionary
for the Pan African Orthodox Christian Church (The Shrine of the
Black Madonna) on Martin Luther King and Griggs. Our church has
been a part of the Houston community for 26 years. I am a political
scientist and a community activist.
I have two adult daughters and a 13 year old grandson. Most of my
family resides in Florida or Georgia and we tend to be very community
oriented. My background includes professional stints as a Budget
Planner for IBM in the manufacturing of the PC in Boca Raton, FL,
Auditor for the Dept. of Insurance, State of Florida, Revenue Agent,
Department of Revenue, State of Florida, and CEO for The Mary McLeod
Bethune Family Legacy Foundation, Inc. I am a member of the NAACP,
National Council of Negro Women, N’COBRA and many professional
development organizations. I have a Bachelors degree in Accounting
and Finance, Masters in Finance, Masters in Political Science/American
Government and PhD in Political Science/American Government. My
passion is teaching and building coalitions between groups that
struggle alone but prosper together.
It is my hope that as a part of KPFT I can help to strengthen my
community, build a better understanding of the power of technology
and public radio and begin to place in our young people a clear
understanding of how critical it is to have outlets for free speech
and diverse introspection of all the issues.
Candidate Questionnaire
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Why do you want to be on the Local Station
Board?
My participation on the Local Station Board is an opportunity
for me to promote public radio, which I believe in. It is a
way to educate the African American community on the usefulness
of public radio as a voice for the grassroots people . In a
time when we are loosing the right to free speech we must support
those avenues of liberal thought and open access. In thinking
of ways to further the coalition building that is currently
going on in my neighborhood, I see public radio as a tool for
the community and the success of its utilization depends on
having representation that looks like the people that we proport
to serve.
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How do you envision the Local Station
Board working with the Pacifica Foundation, KPFT and the community?
I envision the Local Board directing the development of programs
that will better serve a larger base of minority constituents
as well as implementing strategies and action items that will
help develop a relational knowledge base within the communities
that we serve. This will not only build a stronger listener-support
base but educate by example by showing the power of coalition
building.
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How could the station better serve it's
listeners?
The station can better serve its listeners by continuing programming
that speaks to the issues of the day which affect our civil
liberties and those issues which address problems and concerns
for the communities in which we live. Many minorities feel that
they have no voice and KPFT serves as that voice.
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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 develop community outreach programs that will target
the underrepresented communities using methodologies that have
proven successful in educating the target audience. The underrepresented
communities tend to feel that they have no choices and they
have been blocked out of the main media stream except for stereotypical
portrayals and therefore tend to believe that their input is
neither required or wanted. It is my belief that when given
enough information in a manner that can be understood and connected
to the problems that affect them, these communities will respond
and support KPFT as KPFT makes the effort to support them.
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What sources of funding, other than listener
donations, do you feel KPFT should solicit?
I am a grant writer and for many community education projects,
ie., media training in minority communities, funding can be
obtained. Also in making the underrepresented communities more
aware, the possibilities of greater exposure and gift contributions
are increased.
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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 have been a Missionary for the
Pan African Orthodox Christian Church for the past 4 years.
My area of missions is community service and outreach. I have
worked with various grassroots organizations most of my life
and my parents believed in service to others as a part of our
daily lives. I grew up as the granddaughter of Dr. Mary McLeod
Bethune who was an internationally known educator and activist.
I am a member of N'COBRA, the NAACP, the National Council of
Negro Women, (founded by my grandmother) and National Association
of Black Political Scientist, Black Slate and many other groups
that work for the betterment of the world. (National Coalition
for
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Do you anticipate missing any Local Station
Board meetings due to family or job related problems or inadequate
transportation?
No, I do not anticipate missing any Local Station Board meetings
due to family or job related problems or inadequate transportation.
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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 have looked at several of the committees and I am interested
in several. As I gather more information I will, of course,
narrow my focus to one or two. My interests are
- Anti-Racism & Diversity Committee
- KPFT Development
- Ad HOC World Affairs & News Committee
- Committee of Inclusion
Statement
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