Take Back WBAI: New member-voter registration campaign

Bob Lederer forwarded the following e-mail from Akinlabi Mackall re: Take Back WBAI. It proposes a 3-week new member-voter registration campaign. I will be in Wales for two of those weeks, but if possible I will try to keep this blog and my FaceBook page updated.
Dan

(Friends - Akinlabi Mackall, a former WBAI Local Advisory Board member and longtime community activist with S.E.E.D.S., one of the endorsing groups of the Coalition to Take Back WBAI, asked that I forward this to the people on the Coalition's email list. Hopefully we can discuss this at tonight's meeting, which again, is as follows):
Tuesday, June 23, 6:30-10:00 PM
District Council 1707,
75 Varick St. (north of Canal St.), 14th fl
(A, C, E or 1 train to Canal St.)

Subject: Take Back WBAI: Proposed 3-Week New Member-Voter Registration Campaign
To: Justice & Unity Campaign
Date: Sun, 21 Jun 2009 21:43:28 -0400
From: jaydub16@aol.com

The reversal of the last local station board (LSB) election result is crucial to the future of WBAI (as well as Pacifica). Now, as much as ever, we must practice at 'BAI what the Justice and Unity Campaign (J & U) has always "preached": engagement of the radio station with the voices from and righteous struggles of our communities. The present LSB majority is the opposite of what the station and our communities need. J & U's efforts to engage "the people" are on the right track, but more is called for; much more.

As you know, I've spoken to you about Justice & Unity organizing a focused, 3-week new member-voter registration campaign ending on the July 15th deadline.

Perhaps people in the Coalition to Take Back WBAI (CTBW) will support such a campaign. They were certainly energized at the rally last Wednesday. I think one thousand (1000) new member-voters is an ambitious yet achievable goal. I expect that 1000 "new" voters for our slate will make for a much needed, decisive win; even for potentially lower vote getters on our slate.

I suggest that the approach include the following:

1. CTBW, J & U and Friends immediately identify and engage 100 to 150 prospective small, medium and large groups, orgs and churches across the WBAI listening area (especially NY- NJ).

2. Identify a minimum of ten (10) --preferably twenty (20) -- core campaign coordinators, each assigned to about 10 groups, orgs and churches. These core coordinators would be responsible for overseeing / monitoring / tabulating the registrations of new member-voters by each of their assigned groups.

3. Depending on each group's size and the 'BAI member status of its own members, all the groups will be asked to focus its members and friends on doing all of the following (as appropriate):
(a) contributing $25 or volunteering for 3 hours and registering to become a new WBAI member-voter AND voting in a way that will ensure election of candidates committed to local autonomy and genuine engagement of underrepresented communities.
(b) getting three or more of their friends to do "a" above.

Given the time constraints and the very busy schedules of many of our folks, we need a team of core coordinators who can focus on this mini campaign. Obviously, each of the 10-20 core coordinators must be a self starter, organized and persistent. A dedicated email list for "core communications" might be useful; and 2 or 3 overall coordinators may help with the efficiency (ies) as well.

I am willing to contact the leaderships of the following 17 groups immediately, to request their commitment to participate in this proposed 3-week push:
BEPAA, BNYEE, CBJC, CEMOTAP, CSH, D-12, FFDMS, HCCLC, ICOPE, NAKO, NYABPsi, N-BUF (NY), NYSCKRS, Operation Power, Roots Revisited, Sankofa CEP, S.E.E.D.S., and a selection of churches.