I’m proud to be the co-founder, with Kymone Freeman, of We Act Radio, Washington DC’s independent progressive radio and TV studio. We are based in historic Anacostia, and our mission is to amplify the voices and stories that aren’t heard in the corporate media. In addition to a production facility, We Act is also a community space and an educational center where young people are trained in radio and television broadcasting. We have a community garden where people learn about sustainable urban gardening and healthy eating. We are also in the midst of building the Charnice Milton Community Bookstore, the first independent bookstore east of the river.
The huge progress that We Act Radio has made in recent months and years made the morning of Wednesday, August 23rd especially devastating. That’s when we discovered that in the dead of night, someone took our back door off its hinges and stole just about everything of value in the studio, including microphones, computers, hard drives, and cameras. We knew right away that we would need a lot of help to get back on our feet so that we could start producing shows and serving the community again, so we started a GoFundMe page called “Save We Act Radio!”.
We Act Radio was covered in broken glass after this week’s robbery.
The outpouring of support that followed was incredible. In less then 24 hours, we met our initial goal of $15,000, which will allow us to start repairing the damage and get back on the air. We are incredibly grateful and humbled by the generosity of over 150 people, as well as our progressive friends and partners at groups like CREDO Action and MoveOn Action. We have also had major support from progressive media community with support from WPFW, The Richard Fowler Show and the Thom Hartmann Program.
Now, we’ve increased our goal to $25,000, which will enable us to repair the damage and come back stronger than ever. As horrible as this robbery was, the aftermath has been an incredible testament to the community that has nurtured and grown around We Act Radio since its inception five years ago.