How can we restore and defend democratic governance, diverse cutting-edge programming and community engagement, and sound and transparent finances at Pacifica? Members brain-stormed solutions with us at a virtual national town hall via zoom on Saturday, Aug 23, 2025. We heard from DJ Eddie Maultsby of Black Power 96 about their lawsuit to restore funding that was clawed back, and from various PFB working groups on Bylaws/governance, on financial stability/transparency, and on DEI/overcoming racism & sexism in progressive media, as well as from the Ida B. Wells Media Defense Network.
Click here to view a video of the virtual national town hall:
Here’s a lightly edited transcript of DJ Eddie’s remarks on behalf of Black Power 96.
DJ Eddie Maultsby: Uhuru comrades. Thank you so much for that amazing introduction.
I just want to appreciate this time to spend with you all this evening. And so gratefully, just saying, Thank you. Thank you for giving me this platform.
And again, my name is Eddie Maultsby, Jr. You heard a lot about me, and again, I just really want to thank everyone who’s involved with this process this evening to make this a reality for people across the country and around the world. Whoever’s listening, I just want to say thank you for being here.
Now as station manager again, I am 100% blind. I don’t see nothing, but I feel everything is something I see all the time, because I do feel, I do feel the things that are going on with this station in our community across the country and around the world. Let’s make no mistake about it. This is just not something that happens here locally in St. Petersburg, Florida. But it’s everywhere. From St. Petersburg, Florida, to St. Petersburg, Russia. To St. Louis, Missouri, California. You name it, and we’re having always to fight back for what we deserve and what we need unapologetically.
I’m not going to apologize for anything I’ll say this evening.
Because what I say is only the truth, and the truth shall be told not only by me, but by people such as my leadership, Chairman Omali Yeshitela.
People say it all the time. If you got on the boat as an African, you got off the boat as an African, I’m not an American.
How can I be an American? I’m not an American. I just happen to be here, not by choice, but by force.
And this is the what the United States Government and the bureaucracy that they have going on, that says that we can’t say what we want to say.
But yes, we can, because we have that right to have freedom, revolutionary freedom, the right to say what we want to say, and not only that, I would like to say to all of you all that are listening and watching and hearing me, that it’s not only the right to be free, but the right to say whatever I want to say, especially in a community and a state and a country that says that they are fighting for the freedom, for all; justice, for one, justice for all, one nation under God, and all that rigmarole that they say to people to just keep them oppressed, and what they want them to do and learn and say and teach.
I mean, that’s one of the things I learned when I got up and went to school was to pledge to a flag that was not written for African people, for people like myself or indigenous people. That flag did not mean anything for African people.
But this is something I’m passionate about.
And I believe that’s why I became station manager. Because here at Black Power 96, when I first heard about this radio station, it was in this emphasis. Here in St. Petersburg, Florida. And the word was, It’s a new radio station coming, black power 96.
And as soon as I heard, black power. That sounds like something I wanted to get involved with.
And I did so. I came over to get signed up, after singing 5 years on the streets of St. Petersburg where I was very well known.
People just come up and down to a major store that was here for 5 years. Every morning I sat at that store just about every morning. Monday through Sunday sometimes, and I would sing and sing my heart out. But after 5 years I said, I need something else to do.
And here comes Black power radio, I said. That’s for me, because I’m just born to be a revolutionary, born to not to listen to what the United States of America has told me, because of listening to people like Omali Yeshitela.
Back in my day, the seventies, he was known as Joe Waller, and Joe Waller made no apologies about who he was and who he was fighting for. He never fought for Russians or any other people; he fought for Africans is what I want to say. He fought for indigenous people, not only Africans, but Mexicans, Spanish, anybody that was oppressed.
He was fighting for, to unleash the thresholds that were strangling, strangling African people and making sure that they were not able to provide for themselves.
And that’s what this radio station does. It’s a beacon of light and energy for African people everywhere, not just in St. Petersburg, Florida, because you can get us all on the app anywhere. And another reason I’m here is because I know how hard it was being a local artist.
Again you heard me say I sung 5 years downtown in the cold, in the rain, in the storm, in the sunshine, beaming on me all day long, just trying to survive, just trying to make a living for my wife that I married, and my kids that I had with my wife, 100% blind.
What am I going to do in a country that’s not giving me a dime? But all they want to do is hand me a welfare check or food stamps, and I know I am above that, because I’m an African, and I know with the African people have one of the richest lands in the country.
I know that from listening to other people that have came up fighting for African people. So I know better than just to be satisfied with the conditions right here in St. Petersburg, Florida, and all over the country, as gentrification has taken over.
Waking up as a little boy going to the refrigerator and looking in the refrigerator because I don’t know any better at the age of 5, and there’s nothing in there to eat. There’s a jar of mayonnaise and some water, and I go back and watch cartoons, and I get back up, and I go to the refrigerator again, and I go back and watch cartoons, and I go back to the refrigerator again, as if something was going to change.
Nothing was going to change, because we were living in poverty.
And it’s because of the oppressor has us living that way from a mother and father.
But now what we’re dealing with right now in St. Petersburg is this unjust injustice with Pinellas County, Pinellas, county.
We had filled out an application. And let me tell you, during this process as station manager, I was online.
You can’t see me now, but then they could see me. I was on a zoom call, and the first question I asked because we were in a fight with the FBI, huh? Well, the movement was. And I asked them. I said, Is this going to affect our chances of getting this grant for 36, or more thousand dollars?
They took their time a couple of minutes or so, and they got together, and they said. “No, it has no bearing on this case.”
I said, fine, and we proceeded, and we won. We won over being the 4th out of 79 applications. We were ranked 4th, and they approved the application.
In November we knew we were good, I said, my job is done. Brilliant. I can get the necessary tools I need, because I’m a hundred percent blind and can’t see.
I need computers to talk back to me. I need accessibility to help me to create more programs for African people and more programs for indigenous people all over the country so they can get free. So I can do what I need to do to help people get free; to win revolution, to win the right to say what we want to say.
We want to say it to a station that we can have people to come down and sit at the table to say what’s going on.
And then a few months after that, after sending the application, and we signed the contract to receive this offer fund that was meant for black power 96 the radio station in the community. Because I’m very passionate about my community, and no matter where they are, in New York. If they’re black people, it’s in my community.
And so I want to do all that I can for it. So I’m very thrilled that we were able to sign the contract.
And it’s a done deal now.
Now a month or two later in, I believe, in February, we got the notice that they were not going to grant us this Fund, this Arthur Fund. and after being chosen fourth out of 79.
Why not? That would be the major question. Why not. And it says, and they come with this BS of saying, Well, because you’re affiliated with the Uhuru movement.
Affiliated with somebody. Is that the real reason?
We all have to shake our head and nod our head and say, no, that can’t be true.
That can’t be true. You could be affiliated with whoever the hell you want to be affiliated with, that should have no balance on what you are doing for your community and any other, any other source.
But yet that was one of the st things they said, and then they come back and designed another notice, saying,
Well, it’s not because of this, it’s because of that thing. The Tampa Bay Times wrote an article accusing us of of doing all kinds of nonsense. Just a bunch of baloney. Just a bunch of BS. But the things that they’re doing are brutal.
It’s brutal what they’re doing to Indigenous people and African people. And to this radio station, it’s not fair.
So we’re fighting. And we’re going to continue to fight.
Because that’s what we do. If we don’t fight, it’s business as usual for our United States or your United States, or whoever claims to be a United States citizen. It’s their war against African people and everybody against this radio station. But we’re going to continue to fight like I said, because if we don’t it’s business, as usual.
Now. We have gone forward with the lawsuit with the county, because we have every right to do that. Every right to fight for what was given to us. If people gave you something and then wanted to take it back, everyone in the world would be a part of that would want to be on the bandwagon. Say they can’t do that to people.
But they did it. They’re trying to. So we’re fighting.
We went to one court, we’re appealing again to another court. We have proceedings going to be held in Jacksonville in November.
If we have to take it to the Supreme Court, we will. That’s one of the questions I asked our lawyers, and I want to commend our lawyers for the work that they are doing, taking this case pretty much pro bono, but we still have a lot of legal fees we have to pay because nobody does anything for nothing. And this is not only the legal funds we have to pay.
We pay with blood, sweat, and tears. This radio station I get up every morning at about 5, 5:15 to get here, 100% blind, people. We have some people that can’t even get to work and the excuse is that they don’t have a ride. Imagine a blind man like me. But I’m here 8 consecutive years. I’ve been here and working hard.
Because I know the fight is real, and I’m going to keep fighting for freedom, to speak.
Freedom to say what I want to say for revolution to change the world. That’s our slogan.
Not just explain it, but change it.
As for this offer fund. What other station that it should be for, than for the black people? Black people don’t have the support that they need in the community. A lot of us, 50% of us don’t even have Internet. Can’t even get a Internet connection where we can look and see what’s going on in our own community. But not enough not to suggest around the world and around the country what’s going on to us. We don’t have that luxury.
And if you go to the food Stamp office and you say I get this kind of budget. This is all I receive is a disability check and they say, Well, what do you do with your disability Check? Well, I try to pay for my Internet. Well, they say “that’s a luxury; that don’t count.”
It’s so many things that we’re fighting against as black people. I encourage everybody that’s on this call to get behind this radio station, Pacifica radio stations, every station that is going to fight back against a system that is not created for fairness, justice, and liberty. I commend everyone that’s on this call that’s getting ready to do that. We’re in a fight. We need support. One of my things is to tell people: We can’t do it alone.
We can’t do it alone. It takes resources. It takes income. If you’re willing to be with us in this fight, donate. Donate. That’s a great way to fight because it takes resources. It takes income. It takes everything that we have to fight against a colonial system that has frozen resources from indigenous people.
If there’s any questions for me I would love you to ask them. But again I want to thank you for this time, and I appreciate this stance that we are taking, that you are taking with us.
Again donate, you can donate by going to blackpower96.org/donate or use the cash app.
Everybody’s doing that these days. So easy. It’s simple. It’s quick.
It’s just dollar sign, Blackpower. 96. Again. It’s simple, easy, and quick.
Dollar sign, black power, 96 on CashApp.
And again, I want to thank my leadership chairman Omali Yeshitela, Deputy chair, and Sandra Forrest. Lisa Watson from Minnesota. For all that they do, fighting back as white people.
That makes me more happy than anything in the world, because white people under these white people understand what it means to be oppressed what it means to be having stolen property from you, to give back. And that’s what they do, and I encourage everyone to do that. Give back. It’s something that’s important. Freedom of speech. Freedom of justice for everybody. If it’s not for one, it’s for everyone. If it’s not for everyone, it’s not for nobody.
Thank you so much, comrades, and if you have any questions, I’m willing to answer anything. Please fight back.
Sheila Hamanaka: Thank you. Thank you so much. Well, anyway, Kirby, if you could take over, I’m visually impaired myself, hard for me to see the hands. So If you don’t mind stepping in.
Kirby Washington: No problem, Sheila. Sure. Hey, everybody. So Michael Novick does have a hand up for a question.
Michael Novick: I wanted to share that in the chat, we did put the links for those donations. I think it is an important act of solidarity and reparations. I think that the Uhuru movement has been very strong, and leading the whole question of reparations; I think that this would be an example of trying to repair some of the damage that this State has done to that station by providing solidarity and funds to support their legal efforts to win the money that they should have received. So in the chat, it’s cash app. It’s dollar sign black power, 96 or Https Black power 96 dot org slash legal fund. And people can use that directly. we’ve had a number of speakers on from the Uhuru movement because of the attack that they’ve been under which they’ve defeated over and over and over again, in courts and in the streets, and as I think that it’s a really powerful example of the slogan, when we fight, we win. Thank you.
DJ Eddie: I just wanna I just wanna address the comrade that was speaking, and I appreciate that stance from him. I was on a show we have here at Black Power 96 FM Radio station, called Reparations In action, white lives shattered. And this, this program is really for white people to get involved to join the African People Socialist Party to be a part of overturning the injustice for African people and indigenous people. I was on the program. They invited me to speak. and just listening to people like Penny Hess and Jesse Nevel, who ran for mayor here in St. Petersburg some years ago, and so many people like Sandra Forrest and Lisa Watson, and the lists go on, Kitty, and Dennis Kent. I was on this program, and I broke down, and I literally cried for 5 minutes.
I literally cried, my heart was just heavy, and I couldn’t, I could not compose myself for a couple of minutes.
And they had to tell me uh, Eddie, just, you know, just calm down some. Because I got moved in a way, because it’s the vision of Chairman Omali Yeshitela, to have white people to come together. No matter what color you are. To know that what has been done to African people are wrong. Is wrong. There’s no right. And what has happened all these generations and centuries. It has been going on forever and ever and ever. So for him to say to reparations. Now reparation is needed. Now it’s been needed. But we are bringing it to the forefront. Reparations got on the ballot. Not because of any Black Power 96 society leader. It got on the ballot because of this movement because of director running for reparations. But Jesse Nevel, Penny Hess, calling out for reparations, calling to the white people to be a part of giving back. I literally broke down in tears to see white people coming together. To give, to organize with the African people.
We talk about racism and all that. What the hell is racism. A made up, freaking word. I’m a very religious person, so I try to watch my language because I don’t want to lose my religion. Because that’s where I was grew up. That’s where I was raised. And if you raise people in a certain way, they’re going to go that way.
And that’s what the United States of America calls itself doing, raising African people for us to think a certain way.
Who knows if you say Jesus, if you believe in Jesus, then he was a revolutionary. Because he turned over the tax table. He fought. Jesus fought for the rights of people. That’s the same thing we’re doing fighting for the rights of people again.
So I want to appreciate the comment from the brother there who was speaking about reparations, and the time is now. The time is now there’s no waiting. There’s no waiting to see if something changed. It’s time to make the change. A song that Michael Jackson says, time to look at the Man in the mirror. Time to make that change.
Kirby Washington: DJ Eddie, I’m so glad that you came to this event today because it is really important to articulate the things that you’ve just said. When we talk about the you know this, the situation of racism in America, and it goes back forever. It also is still continuing, and my fear, my great fear is that this new administration is bringing things back. They’re already wanting to get rid of The Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act. They really do want to go back to antebellum period. That’s their mindset. And so if we don’t have this conversation among those who are willing, Then it’s crazy.
I appreciate your responses to this, because it is moving when people get together and have that conversation. That’s really our power in radio is to have these conversations, to foster them, and to go deeper and wider, and do it in a way that respects every single person in the room. But I just wanted to appreciate that. And I think Michael Novick, who did make those comments before has got his hand up for another question. If you don’t mind.
Michael Novick: Well, I just wanted to add, for people that we do have a report later on in today’s discussion from the Diversity, equity, inclusion, working group, overcoming racism and sexism in progressive media working group that was set up a while back. And I hope people will stick around for that because we do want to talk about action steps that people can take.
I want to let people know that locally here in L.A. we have a sister, Aryana Mecca Shakur, who’s with the African National Women’s Organization, which is part of the Uhuru movement. I think she was busy today doing the to be fit to fight exercise program part of the Black August activities here in Southern California. But she’s on the local station board of KPFK, the Pacific station here, pushing for the station to try to recover from the cuts and the purges that it made. Thank you.
Kirby Washington: Thank you, Michael. Uh! Looking at the clock, I think it’s time that we wrap this up. Are there any more questions for DJ Eddie.
Fernando Fernando: Can I? My name is Fernando Fernando.
Kirby Washington: Yes, sir.
Fernando Fernando: Okay, I’m much concerned about what’s really happening to to the black community. I really agree with what everybody has said, you know, we need that reparation and so forth. But I’m concerned about the systemic problem that we had. We have a criminalization. Criminalization of a generation like particularly people are being in prison. Among black people, you know, you have about 30 to 40% of the prisoners compared to less than 10% of the population. But at the same time because they cannot be deported, so they put them in jail. This is whether we like it or not. This is really happening. And it’s really a systemic problem that we need to resolve. Because, this is really injustice of what’s happening among our black brothers and sister, and so forth. And so we really need to do something to remedy this problem, because it’s been going on for quite a long time, and I just cannot stand it anymore. I cannot stand it. Thank you.
Kirby Washington: Thank you. I think you speak for so many people in the room. I really appreciate that.
Sheila Hamanaka: I really want to appreciate Dj. Eddie and the African People’s Socialist Party. They’ve really been a role model for Pacifica Fightback. It’s very rare to find an organization where you can find white people that are willing to follow the leadership of black people. I mean, it sounds ridiculous, but that’s true, and we see that needs to be happening in Pacifica.
So thank you so much for joining us and for sharing your time. I know you’re very busy. There’s a very important black is back conference going on today in New Orleans. So Dj. Eddie has taken his time to share with us, and we really appreciate that as well as other people who are with us from the Uhuru movement.
I have my t-shirt on. Hands off Uhuru!