Preservationist

As a member of the African American and Civil Rights Radio Caucus of the Radio Preservation Task Force (RPTF), a project of the Recorded Sound Preservation Board at the Library of Congress, I work to preserve the legacy of radio produced by, for, and about Black people.

In 2018, I received funding from the National Recording Preservation Foundation (NRPF) to conduct a survey of the archival materials held at the radio stations of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). This first phase of this project identified 29 existing radio stations. Very little preservation has taken place at these stations; not only is historical material scant, but the stations' more recent materials are not being collected or preserved either. Subsequent phases of this project are focusing on connecting HBCU radio stations with the resources, both on-campus and off, to begin addressing this oversight. With funding from the Mellon Foundation and in partnership with the WYSO Archives at the station's Eichelberger Center for Community Voices and the Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC), the HBCU Radio Preservation Project is currently in a pilot phase to design and deliver a major preservation for this precious legacy.

Click the weblink for more information about this important project.