Intersectional perspectives with Angélica Wind, executive director of Our VOICE.
Action, Arts, Stories

Community Media

Who shapes our collective narrative and how? Today I’m fired up about the positive potential of community media. According to Wikipedia, “Community media is any form of media that is created and controlled by a community, either a geographic community or a community of identity or interest. Community media is separate from commercial media, state run media, or public broadcasting.” Power to the people!

In Asheville, I see JMPRO TV, Word on the Street/La Voz de Los Jovenes, and the Asheville Blade as examples of online community media. If I may be so bold, this blog could be added to that list as well. We also have WRES FM and Asheville FM on the radio, and the Urban News in print. These platforms allow diverse voices to resound through the mountains. Listening feeds my mind and my heart.

Intersectional perspectives with Angélica Wind, executive director of Our VOICE.
With Angélica Wind, executive director of Our VOICE, at the Women’s March on Asheville.

JMPRO TV
This past weekend I got to be a “community reporter” for JMPRO TV, covering the Women’s March on Asheville. In recent years, JMPRO TV has been developing a community channel with a focus on the Latinx community. Thanks to a grant from CoThinkk, they are now expanding their range of coverage, including events like Michelle Alexander’s recent talk at UNC Asheville.

JMPRO TV is offering free trainings for folks interested in becoming community reporters every Thursday at 7 pm at Firestorm Books. During February, they will be hosting Facebook live stream interviews with community leaders on weekday mornings.

At the Women’s March, we were lucky to get to interview Angélica Wind, the executive director of Our VOICE, and City Council member Sheneika Smith, about their speeches to the crowd. Both spoke of marginalization and the imperative to include all voices. We also heard from a few marchers. At the end of the video, I shared how Tranzmission choose not to participate in the march due to the fact that two of the scheduled speakers supported HB 142, which includes “moratoriums on increases to minimum wage, local labor protections and non-discrimination ordinances protecting LGBT+ people.” Click here for Tranzmission’s statement.

The video from the march is embedded above. You can check out more videos and subscribe to the JMPRO TV YouTube channel here.

Powerful community action led by youth of color.
Word on the Street/La Voz de Los Jovenes

Word on the Street/La Voz de Los Jovenes
In other community media news, Word on the Street/La Voz de Los Jovenes was highlighted on Blue Ridge Public Radio two times recently with an interview on The Waters & Harvey Show, and a short but powerful feature story on BPR News. Their potent project continues to move me and motivate me.

Gratitude
I want to close with a quick note to thank you for reading and sharing my posts, donating, and/or sponsoring me on Patreon. Your encouragement spurs me on to continue using my voice as only I can. May it contribute to our collective liberation.

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