| Statement |
My name is Shara Esbenshade. I am a college student and have been active for many years in the fight against the war and for labor rights, as well as with anti-racism activism to reform the justice system and efforts to expand access to health care. Independent media has been and must continue to be a crucial part of these movements. It strengthens grassroots collective action both through the localized, democratic process of creating such media and through the information and culture that it brings, giving people the space to tell their own stories and providing culture that reflects and nurtures grassroots activism. It is a constant struggle, however, to uphold this vision
within our corporatized society. I want to serve as a listener delegate on the KPFA board to help build a truly democratic and sustainable system of decision-making within the station.
I will bring an important voice and skills to the board as a youth and student activist. I began studying at Stanford last year and am involved in Stanford Says No to War, organizing to end the war in Iraq and all occupations, a continuation of my work with the Campus Anti-War Network. Through a new coalition of students, staff, alumni, and community activists we are working to hold Condoleezza Rice accountable for her involvement in war crimes. I am part of the Stanford Labor Action Coalition, which works with service workers on campus to ensure living wages, respect, and a voice on the job for all salaried employees. During the summer of 2009 I am interning with a union federation in Masaya, Nicaragua through United Students Against Sweatshops to build the connections on the ground that sustain the broader student-worker struggle. I am working now on solidifying Stanford Stands Up!, a new coalition to combat the university’s injustices on campus and elsewhere and to work toward democratic, transparent, and accountable university government. I have gained great experience planning community forums, panels, talks, and protests, and more importantly an activist analysis focused on the need to attack racism, war, poverty and all oppression at its roots in the structure of our society.
I am relatively new to the Bay Area, but I am not new to independent media. In high school I was involved with the Urbana-Champaign independent media center in Illinois, and was a writer and editor for the public i, the city’s monthly volunteer-run independent newspaper. I also have experience in radio, online newspapers, and online film distribution.
I will spread awareness about the importance of independent radio, involve youth in its process, and create discussion to bring the feedback of youth to the local board. As an assistant at the MLK Institute, I am an administrator of the online Gandhi-King Community. I see great potential for mechanisms like these of sharing resources and conversations online to expand KPFA’s following in a sustainable and interactive way. I am endorsed by Independents for Community Radio (www.indyradio2009.org).
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