Speaking to the heart of oral contextualization: the resounding call for critical discussions on civil participation and disobedience, from Black radio to the global classroom

Abstract

Long overdue in the classroom is a critical examination of media coverage when seen and told through the unique vantage point of the audience and storyteller. This discussion is intended to demonstrate how to prepare students to critically examine and evaluate the social role of media within a diverse global society. The author elaborates on the case of one United States station, the historically Black‐owned KJLH‐FM, during and after the 1992 Los Angeles riots. The author points out how this case, as well as similar ones from other culturally specific media, might provoke unique classroom discussions on social and political issues and thus contribute toward the development of racially and ethnically relevant peace curriculum. KJLH’s story is a powerful one that calls forth continued study into the rich oral history imbedded within radio as well as the significance and potential of culturally specific media in general.

Notes

1. Besides a Peabody Award, KJLH‐FM won the NAACP Humanitarian Award, as well as a number of community awards from the L.A Press Club, Los Angeles Sentinel, New Frontier Democratic Club, Brotherhood Crusade, and the City of Los Angeles.