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I am a woman of spiritual aspiration who first
became involved with KPFT to support its unique programming, including
support for my husband, Obidike Kamau, as co-host of CPR (Critical
and Progressive Review). Last year, listener-members embraced and
entrusted me with a seat on the KPFT Local Station Board, which
truly has been a journey and a blessing. I have found a strong,
sincere core of Houston’s volunteer community, committed to
the fulfillment of Pacifica’s goals through KPFT. The spirit
of Pacifica's mission statement stimulated my desire to work with
KPFT. Pacifica's mission promotes the development and maintenance
of a spectrum of educational endeavors that truly honor community-based
creativity, and social, philosophical, political, religious, and
spiritual diversity. The mission makes Pacifica’s five stations
rare and precious jewels in today’s world. The national and
local station board elections address the issue of inclusion at-home
first, from the inside-out, and from top-to-bottom.
Through my experiences with KPFT, I’ve witnessed
the organization’s great heart, its potential, and passion
to fulfill its commitment to society. As an LSB member, I was elected
to serve on the Committee of Inclusion (COI), and was chosen to
be Chairperson. I helped identify an aspect of the COI role to model
the inclusive, pacifican behavior which the station is to foster
internally, and throughout the broader community. The COI is concentrating
on KPFT's first station/listener/member demographic and programming
assessment, an important task before us at this time. Additionally,
I work with the Governance Committee, establishing operational procedures
to enhance collaborative organizational processes.
I advocate for capitalizing on listener-member
participation on all levels (from needs-assessments, to budgeting,
membership drives, to program scheduling, and beyond). I believe
that heightened community and listener involvement will encourage
more folks to become members, and broaden the Foundation’s
collective ownership and potential. I will work to enhance the role
of Pacifica/KPFT in voicing and celebrating diverse perspectives,
and help to set a premier model of accountability for the National
Pacifica Board.
I bring a social perspective and professional and
interpersonal skills to assist Pacifica/KPFT at this phenomenal
stage of its growth. Collaborative educational enterprises, like
those promoted and maintained by Pacifica and KPFT, are most powerful
and necessary for social advancement. By design, these endeavors
confront challenges associated with fundamental, respectful co-existence,
which is crucial to the growth of our society. I bring a spirit
of peace, service and justice, as well as an array of facilitation
and evaluation skills that were developed in the areas of mental
health counseling, Black Studies, and educational research. Ultimately,
I’m at KPFT to support the Balance of this important organization.
Balance is needed to fulfill the aspiration of “doing right
by folks”- “all folks,” which is fundamental to
the Pacifica mission. It is very do-able and necessary to address
people, their information, views, and creative productions with
equal respect as we move forward in strengthening KPFT from its
very core.
Candidate Questionnaire
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Why do you want to be on the Local Station
Board?
To lend my energy, skills, and time to help fill the needs of
KPFT.
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How do you envision the Local Station
Board working with the Pacifica Foundation, KPFT and the community?
As a committee of the Pacifica National Board, the KPFT LSB
strives to fulfill, on the local level, the Pacifica mission
as expressed through the voice of KPFT. As a Local Station Board
member, I will work to ensure the maintenance of KPFT as a rare
and unique Pacifican platform for diverse reflections of Houston's
voices.
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How could the station better serve it's
listeners?
Increase KPFT's service to the community in terms of outreach.
The station could further fulfill Pacifica's Mission Statement
with respect to Part (b) “....conduct classes and workshops
in the writing and producing of drama; to establish awards and
scholarships for creative writing; to offer performance facilities
to amateur instrumentalist, choral groups, orchestral groups
and music students; and to promote and aid other creative activities
which will serve the cultural welfare of the community.” Perhaps,
explore the development of a Community Institute on Social Drama
to start.
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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 work to develop ongoing relationships between KPFT and
diverse community groups. This could be done through regular
remote broadcasts of community events, an ongoing calendar of
diverse communities' events, etc.
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What sources of funding, other than listener
donations, do you feel KPFT should solicit?
Matching funds from listener sponsors are great. The potential
for strings attached to other sources of money implicitly violates
the spirit of the Pacifican Mission and By Laws, I believe.
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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 bring a synthesis of studies in Sociology, African American
Studies, and Mental Health Counseling, as well as skills honed
in drug and alcohol treatment, community mental health counseling,
domestic violence advocacy, and educational research. I have
practiced professionally in many capacities from a telephone
operator and lumber-yard laborer to suicide hotline counselor,
community educator and lecturer, individual and group therapist,
private mental health practitioner, counseling director, college
professor, and research specialist. I've practiced in Wilmington,
Delaware; Nashville, Tennessee; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;
Langston, Oklahoma; Greely Colorado; Denver, Colorado; and,
now Houston, Texas since 1999. The variety in my life experience
affords me the precious opportunity to appreciate Houston's
cultural diversity, even within its conservative context.
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Do you anticipate missing any Local Station
Board meetings due to family or job related problems or inadequate
transportation? No.
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On which Local Station Board committees
are you interested in actively serving?
As a current LSB member, I chair the Committee Of Inclusion
(with the charge of assessing diverse community representation
throughout KPFT and formulating related recommendations) and
I serve on the Governance Committee (developing KPFT infrastructure
consistent with Pacifica Mission and By Laws). I will continue
working with the two committees, and very likely work with the
(currently pending) Anti-Racism and Discrimination Committee.
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