Dear DROP listener,
Rocky Mountain Public Media is committed to ensuring everyone in Colorado is seen and heard, and we join the call to end racism in all its ugly forms.
I join my colleagues at Rocky Mountain PBS, KUVO JAZZ and THE DROP to acknowledge that as public media, we have an established history of shedding light on racial injustice so communities can take appropriate action to create positive change. We also are known and valued for the role we play to highlight and celebrate our differences in ways that build understanding and appreciation of and for our neighbors.
Despite sincere efforts to the contrary, media has also been a powerful force in shaping the historic record through an arguably narrow lens. To bring about true system-wide change, we must carefully examine this lens to ensure we are truly reflecting our communities.
Because we are public media, we are rightly held to a different, higher standard. Our stakeholders are each of you, to whom we are directly accountable.
We are only able to do what we do because of the extraordinary trust you place in us. We need you to know that we have made changes to our organization to ensure we demonstrate to you a sincere commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. We have already begun the long, hard work of looking within to ensure we are truly awake to the power of media and ensure we do not inadvertently reinforce, but rather work to dismantle, institutional racism and systemic bias wherever it exists within our industry.
Silence is not an option to overcome the change that lies ahead. We don't accept that racism is a political issue alone. And we don't accept that to be "objective," as public media, we cannot give direct voice to the innate value and dignity of Black lives. We want to be a part of a new, better "normal" we are all trying to build together as a community.
We don't pretend to have answers. But we do promise to work alongside you to seek ways to be part of the solution.
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