We are a dispersed team of audio archivists, radio producers, and heritage workers dedicated to honoring and preserving the vibrant history and cultural resource that is HBCU radio.
HBCU radio stations train students entering broadcasting careers and provide an outlet for communities to engage on issues while reveling in the sounds of the Black diaspora. Their rhythms and stories demand to be felt and heard. Yet, the original programming created at HBCU radio stations is at risk of being lost. Magnetic tape and other obsolete formats are deteriorating, along with primary sources documenting the history and diversity of the Black experience. Digital materials are in danger of under-preservation in an age of data abundance. Environmental and administrative challenges, as well as fading memories compound these risks.
We act with urgency to preserve non-commercial HBCU radio history through community outreach, field archiving, digitization, and audio-based storytelling. We aim to foster an ethos of care among HBCU libraries and station leaders, while also providing mentorship and hands-on experience to a new generation of cultural heritage professionals.
The HBCU Radio Preservation Project grew out of a 2019 survey designed to assess the preservation practices and needs of HBCU radio stations. Conducted through the Center for Radio Preservation and Archives at WYSO, a public radio station located in Yellow Springs, OH, this effort led to a collaborative pilot project co-administered with the Northeast Document Conservation Center.
With the Mellon Foundation’s generous support, the project is now in an implementation phase running through 2027. WYSO and NEDCC are working with the Margaret Walker Center at Jackson State University and the American Archive of Public Broadcasting to collectively move the project towards completion.
Alejandro Ibrahim
2024 Intern
Anne Marie Willer
Director of Preservation Services, NEDCC
John W. Garland, J.D.
