A Statement of Solidarity from WXTJ
WXTJ Student Radio grieves with the families of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and countless others who have suffered at the hands of police brutality and other forms of systematic racism. We stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as the Black communities of UVA and Charlottesville.
On Tuesday, June 9th, WXTJ will be joining our sister station WTJU in participating in a nationwide community radio initiative to honor George Floyd on-air. More than this symbolic act, however, we recognize our responsibility as a majority-white media organization to use our platform to educate and stand in alliance. We are currently raising contributions from our membership towards a goal of donating at least $500 on behalf of our organization to Blue Ridge Community Bail Fund, which UVA’s Student Council has agreed to match. Anyone interested in participating in our donation drive can reach out to our treasurer Connor Burns at cmb6wa@virginia.edu or on Venmo @Connor-Burns-12.
As consumers and creators of music, we benefit from Black culture and Black media every day. DIY music spaces like ours, however, are often disproportionately whitewashed. We are therefore compiling a list of local and independent Black artists in order to highlight their voices. Those who would like to contribute to this list can find it here.
We strive to create safe, inclusive spaces at all of our events and in all WXTJ environments. However, we understand that a statement and a one-time donation is not enough to demonstrate our ongoing support and commitment to this cause. Our executive board is currently working on action items to diversify both our radio programming and our live events.
In the meantime, though, we continue to stand in support and solidarity.
-WXTJ Student Radio
