Kat Aaron is an economic justice activist with the Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Project (NEDAP). In addition to her work at NEDAP, Kat is a DJ, gardener, and seamstress, and is writing a book with her father on intergenerational dialogue and collaboration in the social justice movement
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Marinieves Alba is an activist, educator, writer and media professional whose work spans print, radio and documentary filmmaking. She is the founder and director of Hip Hop L.E.A.D.S., a New York-based youth leadership project which uses Hip-Hop culture to engage young people in social justice work and co-directs the International Hip-Hop Exchange (IHX), a non-profit arts organization which promotes and nurtures the development of socially progressive Hip-Hop culture and activism, globally, by facilitating exchange between Hip-Hop artists, activists, and youth communities worldwide. Her work as a researcher and activist has led her on extensive travels throughout Brazil, Cuba, Mexico and South Africa, and informs her work as an arts and education consultant. Framing her work in the context of globalization and its impact on developing nations and communities, Marinieves' work highlights community, culture, and creativity as central to holistic community development.
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Meri Butterfly has been a producer and host of Rise Up Radio since August 2002. Her interests and hobbies include yga, poetry, news writing, producing, broadcast journalism, culinary arts, health, nutrition, martial arts, meditation, CUNY/education issues, environment issues, human right issues, Asian philosophy, Buddhism and everything and anything political. Her future plans include law school, focusing on environmental or human rights, and continuing to produce shows for WBAI.
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Dorian Chandler is a 22-year old New York native. She was born and raised in the Bronx and is the oldest daughter of Raymond Chandler and Maria Ferrer. She graduated from Beacon High School in 2000 and will be graduating with Honors at Brooklyn College in June 2004 with a concentration in Television and Radio. Dorian's interest in radio and television started at an early age by while in college she has been able to make her dreams into a reality. Dorian has done several internships in her field including working for Astralweks Record Company, Metro Television, Columbia Tri-Star Television, Emmis Communications, HOT 97 Radio, and WBAI. Dorian became part of the WBAI family when SVP started their very first training program. Dorian completed the training process and now she is part of the Rise Up Radio collective. Dorian hopes to continue with RUR as the show develops into bigger and better things.
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Sarah Durand discovered WBAI as a graduate student in the late 1980s. In 1993 she was the D.C. representative for the organization Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR). During which time, she organized a press conference at the National Press Building and a subsequent protest at the Washington Post of the CIA/crack connection. She was guest lecturer on bias in the media at the American University and while living in D.C. became concerned over attempts to udnermine the Pacifica mission at the local station, WPFW. Currently Assistant Professor of Biology at the New York College of Technology, she volunteered with the Pacifica Campaign in order to challenge an attack on WBAI that was similar to what she witnessed in D.C. at WPFW. It was through her work with the Campaign that she met Ursula Ruedenberg. With Ryme Kathouda of WBIX (WBAI in Exile), she and other began the show currently known as Rise Up Radio.
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Nell Geiser is a first-year student at Columbia College where she serves as News Co-Director of the campus radio station, WKCR and tries her best to raise hell in and out of the classroom. Nell is from Boulder, Colorado, where she volunteered at KGNU community radio during high school and was involved inv arious other activist and media organizations. She has freelanced and worked as assistant technical producer for Free Speech Radio News and interned with Democracy Now! Nell is a member of SPEaK, Students Promoting Empowerment and Knowledge, a group that fights for Ethnick Studies and space for students of color at Columbia University.
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Doug George is an independent media producer with a B.A. in Jazz performance from Bard College. He is Webmaster and Editor for MediaChannel.org, the first Web portal dedicated to international media issues. In addition to his media pursuits, Doug is committed to realizing economic justice and human rights.
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Michael Gould-Wartofsky is a student at Hunter HS, a public high school in Manhattan. He is founder of the Hunter Progressive Forum, of the now out-of- print underground youth publication IMPACT (Independent Magazine for Politics, Art, Culture & Thinking), and of New York Youth Bloc--the citywide high school peace and justice coalition. He's worked as a student journalist for several years, as well as a musician and spoken-word poet.
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Sacajawea Hall, a producer and host of Rise Up Radio, holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Goucher College, and an Honours Degree from the Center of African Studies at the University of Cape Town. She is an activist organizer with the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement. She currently coordinates the Hunger Prevention Program for the non-profit agency, Lutheran Social Services of Metropolitan New York. She plans to continue her education by attending graduate school.
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Yvonne Liu is interested in direct democracy, dual power and strategies of shifting power back into the hands of the people. She grew up as a red diaper baby, with radical parents who brought her to demonstrations at a young age. But, now she's interested in radical consicousness and processes that don't necessarily alighn to a hard line ideology or platform; a change in thinking and doing that can be undertaken by individuals and collectives to transform inequities of power, class, race, gender, and all forms of oppression and injustice. Currently, she works with the collective Organizing for Popular Power, the Brecht Forum and the Free Radio Youth collective at WBAI. She's a student of anthropology at Columbia University.
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Thomas Moore is a Jr. High School student who joined Rise Up Radio in the Fall of 2002. He was voted MVP at his school and plays a mean sax.
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Jayne Paris joined this collective in August 2002. She is a CUNY Graduate. A current internship as Associate Producer for The Radio Works has been a way of furthering her connection to radio involvement. As a human rights/social justice activist, to participate in the communication of truth, justice and community radio for ALL at WBAI is a very exciting experience.
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Ursula Ruedenberg grew up in Iowa and Switzerland. The international perspective she gained has made her hate the confined and hypocritical thinking American media so often encourages, and has made her thank God for Pacifica Radio. Ursula began listening to Pacifica at KPFK in Los Angeles in the 70's and she bacame a volunteer at WBAI three weeks before the 2000 Christmas Coup. She helped organize Concerned Friends of WBAI and was a staff member of the Pacifica Campaign to Stop the Takeover of Pacifica. Currently she works as Interim Outreach Coordinator for WBAI and Interim Affiliates Coordinator for Pacifica Network. Ursula founded Student Voices for Peace with Sarah Durand, with the support and help of WBIX Radio in Exile.
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Stevphen Shukaitis has been a producer with Rise Up Radio since August 2002. He is a sociology student at the Graduate Faculty of Social and Political Science at the New School for Social Research. Working as a non-vanguardist social researcher and diplomat of struggle within various tendrils of current anti-capitalist/anti-statist movement(s), his work has focused on cooperative economics and alternatives to neo-liberalism. He is also a member of Organizing for Popular Power and the DualPower.net Worker Collective.
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SlabTzu is the music coordinator for Rise Up Radio/SVP. He is a member of the Student Liberation Action Movement (SLAM!) and the CUNY4All Coalition. He is a CUNY activist who has dedicated his life to dropping the tuition for CUNY students and opening the doors of higher education for everybody. A Hip Hop freak who does what he can to bring the Hip Hop culture back to the streets and away from big business.
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Leanne Stahnke is a graduate student at Teachers College Columbia University. Her scholarship centers around youth activism. She is thrilled to be part of the RUR collective.
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Zamani is currently involved in teaching poetry to students
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