Monica reflects on being at and leaving KBOO

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Below is an interview with Monica Beemer, who served as KBOO's Station Co-Manager with Mic Crenshaw from February 2014 until March 2016, and since March 2016 as Station Manager.  Monica will transition out of her role as Station Manager in February 2017 and is currently supporting the KBOO Board of Directors in a hiring process for this position. 

 

For information on this hiring process, click here.

 

KBOO: How did you and Mic decide to apply as Station Co-Managers and how has it been being at KBOO for you during your time here?

 

Monica: Mic and I have worked together on activist and political work for many years, including co-facilitating a political study and discussion group at Sisters Of The Road as well as housing justice work.  We both left our last jobs at the same time and we were meeting and discussing the world. I suggested to him that we could consider applying together to the right job, somewhere we thought was important and somewhere we thought we could help with our diverse skills.  We both had a lot that we were doing and wanted to have space and time to keep doing it, so part-time work sounded good.  The KBOO Station Manager position came open, and we applied and got the job!  Since then, Mic has transitioned to working with the Youth Collective at KBOO, which is such an important thing for KBOO and for Portland. I have been working solo in the position since March.  

 

I think we have really helped the station, and we’ve accomplished a lot while we have been in our roles.  KBOO needed some stabilizing care and support when we came. I think the fact that people knew our work and our politics helped. But we also brought systems and planning, trainings and operating teams. KBOO has had some of these, of course, but we helped to institutionalize what we knew from our professional and our lived experiences.

 

For me, it has been really good to be at KBOO. KBOO is so important and our commitment to underrepresented voices, citizen journalism, community training, and local, great music and public affairs, could not be any more important right now. KBOO is a lifeline. KBOO is also a really interesting and dynamic community with many creative people and so much great history.  I’m really grateful for my time here and glad that we came and glad for how we could help.

 

KBOO: Tell us about your plans.

 

Monica:  In the immediate future (after KBOO) I will help friends, and the most amazing organizers I know, in Detroit as they host the Second International People’s Summit on Housing and Water Rights. I’ll also help the Western Regional Advocacy Project (WRAP) with fundraising. Both of these are just for a few months and so I will be figuring out what I will be doing long-term or after that.  We live in such an important time, and I don’t mean just the elections.  What we do with our time and our lives is vitally important, so I will do whatever is needed of me and I hope it’s something fun. I know it will be meaningful. I’m excited to see what it will be!

 

KBOO: What are your hopes for KBOO, now and in the future?

 

Monica: I have a lot of faith that KBOO will do great, in part because we are needed more now than possibly ever. Also because of who is at KBOO and how they are willing to share their experiences to make KBOO stronger. KBOO is a learning community and we will need to keep listening deeply to each other, affirming experience and working toward the beloved community vision of a place where everyone has what they need to thrive. If we continue to reflect on our core values, charter, mission and vision, we will continue working to make KBOO a safe place for all people.  We are learning a lot. As long as we keep doing the learning, and stay committed to expectations and boundaries around safe behavior, we will be who we need to be to fulfill our role in our community. We will make mistakes, but every time we do it’s important to remember someone has been hurt. We have to acknowledge and address that, taking care of those who are impacted and changing ourselves as we go. The youth, people of color, women, trans-people, people with disabilities and others have to have a voice, power and more safety at KBOO. We are making this transition but it’s slow and it’s culture change. We’re building new muscles. My hope is that this continues to be a big commitment and focus. It is in our three-year strategic plan and I have a lot of hope we will keep doing the good but difficult struggle of bringing this vision to life.  

 

KBOO: Anything else you would like KBOO Members to know?

 

Monica:  I’m excited to see who will do this next and what talents, skills and passions they will bring. I think it will be good.  It has been an honor to serve our community radio station with you all.Thank you for all you do for the future of our whole region by supporting KBOO.  We could not do it without you and what we provide together could not be more important.  Thank you!