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May 13, 2005
Opening Plenary: Malkia Cyril, Youth Media Council
Bob says our power is putting bottom up pressure on those in power. The next speaker is an example of such a person.
Malkie Cyril: I mean, are we winning? Would I be remiss if I ask in true activist tradition, when I say media, you say justice? Media! Justice!
She's prvileged to be here with great minds and people like you. These organizations teach me every day that we are winning, we can win. There continue to be questions about who we are. She hopes to answer some of these questions today.'
George Clinton said, whoever controls the news controls our destiny. The question for some of us is how we restore the historical context of our media. The answer lies in dispelling myths about the free press, using reform towards justice and structural change.
She was born in New York into the language of welfare mothers, inhaled in the media everyday. This distorted media bias told a story about her character, and about the war on drugs that led to the incarceration and deaths of many she loved. It is a fight for our lives. We face today a Bush-led war on the world. Our media system represents a crisis of democracy for the vast majority of the population. Civil rights will not be rolled back without a fight.
What is a free press and how is it guaranteed? We've heard that Jefferson and Madison saw the press as a guard against power. As the founding fathers were writing their tomes on a free press they were building a slave owning capitalist economy. Our current media system maintains its colonialist beginnings. We can dispel three myths: 1. The media used to be better and more fair. This is false, there has never been a free press for minorities women and youth. 2. Communication rights are inherently individual civil rights guaranteed by citizenship. What about undocumented immigrants, those who are young or incarcerated whose civil rights are infringed? When civil rights are infringed, there is no free press. 3. sorry, missed that one -- can't type fast enough.
In a free market society organized by class race and gender, no press can be truly free. If we want change then the media reform movement must center class, race and gender justice.
We want accountability and alternatives.
Wow, she is on fire and raising hell, but I cannot keep up.
Marginalized communities care about media reform because our lives hang in the balance. Our communities remain producers and consumers in a media system we cannot control. We must not be powerless. The US has used the media system to export racism and war, the problem of the US media is a problem for the entire world.
Victory is imminent, it is everwhere. Marginalized communities are here as stakeowners and organizers.
Rousing applause and standing ovations around the room.
Posted by paul at May 13, 2005 12:05 PM