In a follow up to the January 14th Community
Tribunal that revealed censorship of, and separate standards for Black Music
on New York music media, Bob Law of the National Leadership Alliance recently
announced that a coalition of prominent community leaders, ministers and elected
officials are calling for the first major Turn Off The Radio Rally Tuesday February
18.
Chuck D and Dead Prez, as well as the Rev. Calvin
Butts, Dr. Leonard Jeffries, Minister Kevin Muhummad and Rev Richard Ashley
will be present to protest New York radio standards.
The coalition charges that New York airwaves
that target the Black community are filled with a preponderance of negative,
violent, and destructive ideas.
The coalition will ask the community to on selected
days to turn off the radio.
Law said that the turn off the radio strategy
came from Dead Prez, whose sophomore set was titled Turn Off The Radio: The
Ulcer in the Belly of the Beast
."In our conversations with young people
in the hip hop community we learned that there is a great deal of music both
hip hop and R&B that is positive and nourishing," Law told AllHipHop.com
in a statement. "Music radio and music TV simply refuse to play it."
The National Leadership Alliance alleges this
programming policy is part of the assault on the spirit and physic of the Black
community.
At the rally the organizers will issue an open
letter that will articulate the community’s concern and they will announce
the first radio off day.
