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Malkia on Media Minutes

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 17:48:18 GMT

YMC has for 5 years been committed to media justice through strategic media work, media activism and media training. Malkia talks to Free Press about the importance of media justice and media activism. Why do we need a fair and just media? What is at stake if we do not fight for our voices being heard in mainstream media outlets?

Check her out here.

Communicating Justice at USSF 2007

Fri, 13 Jul 2007 18:51:16 GMT

It is one week after the historic first United States Social Forum. Both a living monument to a living justice movement inside the most violent nation in the world, and testimony to the complexities of sharing power across the lines of race, class, and gender- the USSF brought tears of joy and frustration to my eyes. This first attempt on the part of organizers, activists, artists, academics, the grassroots, the lobbyists, the policy wonks and the students, the native people, the immigrants, the queer folk, the Africans in America, the poor, the struggling working class, the lawyers, the dreamers, the haters, the survivors of private and public wars, the women, the children- was a resounding success. Together we spit a new frame- that another world is possible, but only through the redefining of the role of the United States in that brave and beautiful new planet.

Fact is, the USSF did what many conferences and other types of movement and sector gatherings have tried- provide not one big tent, but a visionary meta frame within which a variety of allied formations could set up camp. This is the truest power of framing and reframing. It isn’t the simple act of hooking an audience with a catchy phrase, or putting music to the message and making you bobb your head to the movement beat. It isn’t about getting people in line under the banner of a singular ideology, nor making sure everybody agrees with the specifics of your plan. Its about capturing the hearts and minds of a constituency guided by their shared hopes and dreams (otherwise known as values and vision), and motivating them to take specific action for concrete change.

Framing ain’t new, though Lakoff and others getting paid like it is. Civil Rights was a frame that forty years ago bound together hundreds of disparate fights for one overarching goal- full civil and human rights for all people. It was through this frame that Martin Luther King Jr. was able to take a stand in opposition to the Vietnam War. It was through this frame that garbage strikes in Mississippi and desegregation fights in Atlanta and workers rights in Louisiana could be part of a single movement. This frame encompassed policy fights for voting rights for those denied that basic freedom at that time- the grandsons and granddaughters of slaves. It transformed the public education system not only in terms of desegregation but also in challenging the role of government to protect all members of the public and uphold the law.

This was one moment in time. A moment that gave so many communities hope that it naturally spawned similar movements for the rights of women, native people, Latinos, and Asians. Malcom X and then the Black Panthers brought a decidedly international flavor to this domestic struggle- advancing beyond civil rights to human rights and connecting a movement that was fundamentally about citizenship to the broader and more central question of U.S.-led structural racism and capitalism all over the world. That bridge moment was cut short.

We need a moment like this again. And we can have it.

This time it may not be led by one community, but a coalition effort between native communities at the forefront of protecting the land, immigrant communities with a clear vision for a transformed concept of citizenship and nation-state, and african-american communities providing the proof from Hurricane Katrina to the New York 4 that citizenship as its currently defined is not in and of itself a guarantee of civil or human rights and white power is alive and kicking. Facing collective displacement from the land, political and economic disenfranchisement, and the clear and present danger of institutionalization in prisons and INS detention centers- these communities along with poor and working class whites must work together to build new meta-frames around public space and land rights, the role of government versus the rule of corporations, the use of policing and the violence of the U.S. state, and the basic human rights of health care, living wage work, basic education, and communication rights that all people deserve. Our fights, no matter the issue or the region, must root in a common understanding of structural oppression and reach for a shared vision of justice.

That doesn’t mean we agree on every policy fight, nor that we are tactical partners in every campaign. But instead it means that we take up the work of coordinating communications, both internal and external to our movement as central to the organizing we each and all do. It means that we understand that communications is not simple the act of getting press coverage, or taking specific media outlets to task when they fail to cover our issues accurately or well. It means we do those things AND expose the structural mechanisms of oppression in every campaign. It means we focus on the solution 80% more than the problem. It means we use every medium at our disposal to communicate what justice looks like- songs, poetry, news stories, books, movies, t-shirts, chants, theatre, everything. It means we link our justice fights to the fight for a just media, that we may have the space to have any public conversation about power, racism, class oppression, and change. It means that we communicate justice from every hilltop and every valley. That we build a movement around and genuinely rooted in the affirmative meta-frames that are emerging- Right to the City, Green Jobs, Books Not Bars, Media Justice, and others.

USSF 2007 provided a space for just that kind of reframing. It wasn’t perfect. That the National Planning Committee didn’t centralize communications earlier and better resulted in real challenges. That the progressive left outlets didn’t pick up the story earlier and better was problematic. That the media justice center was not able to meet the needs of both training and community engagement and necessary press and public relations posed great difficulty for many. But these challenges pale in comparison to what was accomplished. Hundreds of stories placed. The strategic engagement of community and mainstream journalists. The undprecedented alliance of dozens of communications workers in every region who gave their time, resources, and brilliance to the process of communicating that another world is possible, and another U.S. is necessary.

I am so proud of what I witnessed. And this blog is a thank you to each and every human being who made it possible. And it is a challenge.

I challenge every organizer, every artist, every policy head and journalist to consider the message, engage the frame, expand your notions about communications and movement culture. Communications is not the playground of the privileged. The South African Anti-Apartheid Movement had a complex communications strategy without which there could have been no internal nor external movement. The Sandanistas used radio like you wouldn’t believe. In Venezuela media policy is as important as education policy. The U.S. left can and must communicate justice, because for all of us- a just media system just can’t wait.

Allied Media: The Power of the Story

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 22:55:41 GMT

The Allied Media Conference in Detroit is one of the most impressive conferences I have been to with regard to media activism and media justice. Given the opportunity to see what is happening at all levels; independent media production, media activism, media justice and building deep knowledge on critical issues, it became clear the importance of building communications strategies and media rights for disenfranchised communities.

Specifically, the power of the story, historically, has proven effective in persuasively distributing information outside the constraints of supposedly ethical journalism. When communities effectively tell their stories, we get the depth of information necessary to enter debate on our own terms. One panel I went to called, "The Way we Tell History" prominent activists, including Grace Lee Boggs, discussed the ways that the legacy of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X were frozen in history with single words and phrases, as opposed to understanding their whole work as a work in progress.

So we are at a crossroads. We must tell our stories succinctly, but we must tell them in a way that is dynamic and telling of the reality of our lives.

However, it can be more than just our words. Media includes a variety of forms of expression and the Allied Media Conference also strategically used films to convey points via images. Two sessions that stood out to me included films from the New Orleans International Human Rights Film Festival and NO! The Documentary. In the first session there was a viewing of films that included stories of being evacuated and getting to the Astrodome along with covering some post-Katrina activism. I was moved by the intensity of the images and certainly showed me the power of film. NO! The Documentary, both discussed in the morning plenary and shown at a later time, is a documentary about rape and activism and one woman's journey in finding her peace and community through her activism around violence against women in the African American community. Again, struck by the strength, courage and truth of these women, I found myself moved.

Stories hold the key to freeing our communities from the lies that have been told about us. Through independent media production (including film, music, news and blogging), media activism and media justice, we can insert our voices in a way that will demand attention and generate accuracy.

Live and Direct from the AMC.

Sat, 23 Jun 2007 00:27:19 GMT

I am here repping Youth Media Council at the Allied Media Conference and can I just say, wow. I have been to so many conferences this year, and they are always inspiring, but not always in a positive way. Usually, I get mad and have to write scathing reviews about the lack of vision from or understanding of disenfranchised voices.

This is not the case at the Allied Media Conference. After getting in late to Detroit last night and getting over some jet lag, I made it over to the opening ceremony. The strong presence of radical thought filled the air around me and was only heightened by the powerful words of the presenters. Three Detroit activists--Grace Lee Boggs, Charles Simmons and Elena Herrada--discussed the role of media in activism, but also focused on what is happening on the ground in Detroit. I was so inspired I wanted to just move on in to the D.

Following this included some profound spoken word poetry by Versiz, Angela Jones and D. Blair. If you don't know, get familiar.

For a minute the MC passed the mic around for youth voices to speak about the media that they want to see. Most of the folks that spoke out were from Detroit Summer (please get familiar) and spoke about a media that needs to highlight their voices, educate future leaders, train youth to feel comfortable in front of the camera and to feel confident about their voice and their communities. Some folks talked about how the media needs to highlight local activists and local artists and a media that tells the truth.

What do you think? We are all clearly not happy with the way the media treats our respective communities and organize in a variety of ways to fight misrepresentation, that is probably why you are here reading at all. What kind of media do YOU want to see?

Deep in My Heart: The South Speaks the Language of Media Justice by Malkia Cyril

Fri, 09 Feb 2007 19:34:41 GMT

Against the backdrop of the mountains of Tennessee, and sheltered from brisk cold by the large meeting rooms of a Hilton Hotel, about 75 people sought new answers to the old problem of historic disenfranchisement by U.S. media.

This diverse band of justice-seekers represented media, organizing, and cultural arts organizations from across the Southern states. They were brought together by members of the Media Justice Fund -- the Fund for Southern Communities and the Appalachian Community Fund to share their media justice stories, strategies, and victories. Through the songs and digital stories of Knoxville’s own Carpetbag Theater, a popular education session with the East Tennessee Progressive Network, presentations by American Forum, Appalshop, and others, and dynamic small group discussions, these groups worked together to tackle fundamental questions about the role of media and culture in the lives of their constituencies and to identify the media policies, content bias, and ownership issues that pose both threats to and potential opportunities for building a regional movement in the South.

More inspiring than even the participants themselves was the fact that media and culture were treated as mediums to be fought for and used as part of a larger strategy in the struggle for social justice, a concept still gaining traction in the movement for media reform.

I was honored by their invitation to offer opening remarks and deepen our collective understanding of media justice, because media justice is more than sexy rhetoric; it is also a powerful re-framing of a centuries-old relationship: the relationship of disenfranchised communities to political power. Media justice houses an analysis of that relationship, a participatory strategy for local to national change, an agenda for relevant policy and structural change, and a broad vision for racial, economic, and gender justice- all of which combine to create a framework for fundamental media and social change that includes the radical redistribution of communication rights and power.

In the South, like all other parts of the country, U.S. citizenship remains an unfulfilled promise for the vast majority. For communities disenfranchised by race, class, gender, sexuality, and ability- an understanding of the role media and culture play in reinforcing systemic inequity is critical and determines the nature, scope, and method of its transformation.

The strategy for media change in the South was the conference hook, and the diversity of tactics was inspiring to hear. Ranging from an independent radio show-Holler to the Hood -- currently under the threat of an indecency fine for giving voice to the incarcerated -- to the development of a national black weekly newsmagazine, from the alliance-based strategic communications of the Community Media Organizing Project to the uses of documentary media to unveil the hidden reality of police brutality -- the participants each manifested the principle of creativity at the heart of every media justice strategy.

As a panelist I had the opportunity to share how the Youth Media Council implemented the framework of media justice through regional media justice initiatives like the campaign to Unplug Clear Channel and Oakland’s first FCC Hearing, through our on and off-line media action network of more than 50 people, and through our multimedia action paks. More importantly, as a participant I got the chance to bear witness to and learn from some of the most incredibly savvy, strategic, and sophisticated organizing and media work occurring in the country. All of this raised in me the question: As a regional movement building media strategy and action center, how does the Youth Media Council support the media capacity, sharpen the media strategy, and strengthen the media leadership of this particular frontline of groups? How can the YMC, from our location in the Bay Area, use our media justice organizing, PR strategies for disenfranchised communities, and media skills and leadership development to expand and strengthen the movement for media justice and support the development of a regional media justice strategy throughout the South?

As working class whites, and blacks, immigrants, and native people of all classes, the participants of this media justice convening understood that traditional media reform tactics would not be enough to win freedom for the thousands of impoverished, racially and economically oppressed communities they represented. These organizers, media producers, and artists focused their attention on solutions, exquisitely demonstrating the inherent power and capacity of home-grown media leadership. Sponsored by a grant from the Media Justice Fund of the Funding Exchange, the gathering gave me more than insight. It gave me hope. I hold this experience deep in my heart and look forward to nurturing partnerships with each of these amazing organizations in the near future. Come the hell of poverty or New Orleans high water, Tennessee represented with a commitment to media justice as native as the mountains, and as enduring as change.

Holler, cause a just media system just can’t wait.

The Big Dream of Media Justice by Malkia Cyril

Wed, 17 Jan 2007 19:05:34 GMT

Introducing….the Big Idea! The Big Idea is the home for big stories, big dreams, and big frameworks about the movement for media and social justice.

This past weekend, over 3,000 people celebrated the birthday of assassinated Civil Rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King in Memphis, Tennessee by dreaming BIG about ways to transform our media system at the National Conference on Media Reform. Young people, people of color, women, queer folks, the disabled community, immigrants, and anti-racist whites joined together to landscape the problem of an undemocratic media system, share strategies for change, and develop a collective vision for media justice. There were conversations about ensuring that net-neutrality “doesn’t have a neutral impact on the people,” reframing the concept of the public interest, connecting legal tactics to local action, bringing media academics and activists into real collaboration, corporate media accountability, race and representation, and the role of artists in a movement for media change.

The Youth Media Council, as part of the Media Action Grassroots Network, participated in or led panels about hip-hop activism for media justice, local action for national impact, media justice throughout the world, media diversity, how to challenge a broadcast license, youth organizing for media reform, media monitoring for justice, and online tools for media justice. Shouts outs are in order. Free Press did a great job in beginning to work together with those most impacted by media consolidation and bias, and yeah- we still have a long way to go. Big ups to Reach Hip-Hop, the Manhattan Neighborhood Network, People’s Production House, Laura Flanders, Davey D, and all the lawyers, Beltway lobbyists, artists, organizers, and media producers. Together with the Youth Media Council, Media Alliance, Reclaim the Media, the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center, Media Tank and the Media Empowerment Project- we helped to re-focus the dreams of thousands beyond media rights and reform, and onto a vision of media justice.

Like Dr. King, we dreamed real BIG.

Then I came home and celebrated January 15th- both the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King and the second anniversary of my mother’s death. And I had a dream.

I dreamt that back in my mom’s heyday as a Black Panther in Brooklyn, when biased and inaccurate coverage of the Black Panther Party justified unacceptable cruelty toward black activists by the state- folks recognized the profound influence of U.S. media on the lives of people of color and held those journalists accountable to our communities.

I dreamt that when our news stations violate the most basic of ethical standards by televising the hanging of a man, regardless of his crimes, opposition would drip from the tongues of audiences across the country. I dreamt that our outrage would leverage real influence, and the resulting impact would remind Big Media of their obligation to the public interest and hold our news accountable to the journalistic standards they promised to abide.

I dreamt that it was common knowledge that the recent coverage of the hanging of Saddam Hussein was as criminal as the fast-tracked hanging itself. Just like the hanging, which violated international law, the never-ending pictures of Saddam with a noose around his neck violated international standards for communication rights. It reminded me of the nightmares of many African-Americans for whom the celebration of the hanging of brown folks is burned into our historical memory, tattooed on our sleep. The crimes of Saddam were made possible in part by his relationship to the Bush regime, and according to the Wayne Madsen report, Bush wanted Saddam put to death before he could reveal embarrassing secret arms deals. Sounds more and more like an assassination, doesn’t it? Whether the hanging was just jurisprudence or violated the law, the coverage of that hanging was full of gaping holes. Instead of asking questions about why the process occurred so quickly, or investigating the United States role, the press quietly accepted the U.S. inaccurate version of itself as liberator and bystander to the barbarism of the “third world”, as it has so frequently in coverage of the U.S. was against Iraq.

I dreamt about media justice replacing a media system that generates profits from the dehumanization of people of color, the hyper-sexualization of women and girls, the fear of crime, and the blaming of the poor. I dreamt there was a balm in Gilead, that here inside an empire that denies human rights to the vast majority of its residents, every-day people stood up to media corporations, demanded fair representation, and held our outlets accountable.

And then I woke up to realize that it wasn’t just a dream. Whether fighting Comcast in Philadelphia and San Francisco, testifying before FCC Commissioners in Oakland, Seattle, New York, and North Carolina, opposing state franchising and rules promoting cross ownership of newspapers and broadcast stations- our communities are fighting back. We will not be sold a lie. Just as we understood the impact of coverage of the Vietnam war on the people that nation then, we understand the impact of the war against Iraq on the Iraqi people today, and we will not stand idle while journalists who dare to investigate are murdered, while images of state murder and torture go unquestioned, while musicians are forced by the music industry to create music that denigrates their communities while crime waves are fabricated and in fact created by their over-representation on television.

We will not stand idle because we know, as we demonstrated at the 2007 National Conference on Media Reform, that a just media system just can’t wait. Join the movement for media justice today and dream BIG.

The Big Idea is coming soon!

Wed, 15 Nov 2006 01:46:00 GMT

YMC Director Malkia Cyril's new blog is coming this January 2007! Stay tuned.