Director’s Corner: Preservation is Resistance

The mission of the HBCU Radio Preservation Project is to preserve the history and legacy of HBCU radio, and that mission has become critical as forces have moved to dismantle decades of civic progress for all Americans, but Black Americans in particular.

With the loss of its federal funding, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) has begun shutting down its operations, a move that threatens the very existence of many small public radio stations, including those at HBCUs, that have depended on CPB funding for much of their operational costs.

Our charge in these times is to respond to the needs of the field with a greater sense of urgency.

Resistance is a word that comes to mind these days. HBCU radio has always served as a form of audible resistance to the dominant narrative of mainstream society by providing a microphone for the unique voice and culture of the communities the stations serve. In the face of existential threats like flood and fire and funding cuts, we see preservation as a form of resistance to the erasure of history and legacy and also a strategy to foster resilience. Our team explored the relationship between preservation and resistance during a panel discussion at the AAAM conference in July.

The HBCU RPP is stepping up to respond to this moment through even greater engagement with our stations, their campuses, and communities. Our team of preservationists has visited eight HBCU radio stations this year, from the Mid-Atlantic region to Texas and Ohio. These included initial site visits to forge a connection with station staff and archivists as well as follow-up preservation visits to collect oral histories and bespoke audio artifacts for digitization and preservation.

On another front, one of our project partners, The American Archive of Public Broadcasting, has put together an online guide and webinar entitled “Practical Steps to Preserving Your Station’s Programming: A Guide.” It has valuable tips for preserving your radio station’s precious digital materials. We also invite you to attend our annual HBCU Radio Preservation symposium on Wednesday, November 12, in Houston, TX. “Rising Water, Rescission, and Risk: A Disaster Preparedness Teach-In” will be a hybrid event so all who wish to can attend. Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks.