National Radio Project and Making Contact Celebrate 10 years!

Unchaining Media-Amplifying Voices

September 23, 2004 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Veterans Building Green Room in San Francisco, California

In 1994, six passionate people met in an Oakland cafe to fight for social justice through media, and formed the National Radio Project (NRP). Since then, NRP has worked closely with activists working for social, environmental and economic justice.

NRP's flagship, the internationally distributed radio program, Making Contact is a breath of fresh air in this era of media consolidation, giving voice to those working on the front lines of social change all over the world. Making Contact provides in-depth coverage of cutting-edge environmental, international, women's, labor and prisons issues, among many others.

We’ve brought the stories, struggles and successes of people like Monroe Cassidy (#36-02 "Warnings from the Coal Fields"), Mae Wan Ho and Wilbur Jackson (#06-02 "Biowars: First, Do No Harm"), and Sarwat Biquar (#17-03 "Patriot Act Uncovered: The War on Civil Liberties") to hundreds of radio stations worldwide.

These people aren’t celebrities - they are some of the everyday people who work on the front lines of social change. NRP has grown into a resource for these and other usually voiceless members of society, an ally for social-change movements and a unique independent media source.

We celebrated ten years of making media make a difference, on September 23rd, 2004 at the Veterans Building Green Room in San Francisco, California.

Our event, Unchaining Media-Amplifying Voices, brought activists and friends together for an evening of food, music, reflection and celebration. We also re-envisioned the role of independent media during the crucial 2004 election year.

Our evening included a keynote address from Makani Themba-Nixon, media-justice advocate and Executive Director of Washington DC’s Praxis Project. Makani sharee timely insights on media and social justice. Two of National Radio Project’s founders were on hand as well: media critic Norman Solomon, Founder and Executive Director of the Institute for Public Accuracy; and radio producer David Barsamian, Founder and Director of Alternative Radio.

We also took the opportunity to honor several of our closest allies: Peggy Law (NRP’s Founders’ Award), Dan Turner (Volunteer Appreciation Award), Pat McSweeney (Donor-Ally Award) and KPFA's Apprenticeship Program (Organizational Ally Award).

A Silent Auction featured some great donated items that benefited National Radio Project.