In the 60s and 70s, Black students demanded a voice on radio. A new project ensures that history isn’t lost

Adria Walker, The Guardian

The HBCU Radio Preservation Project celebrates stations that were an outgrowth of the civil rights movement, to help people understand their importance

After Shaw University’s WSHA radio station went on air in 1968, several other historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) followed the North Carolina school’s lead, launching a wave of their own.

For decades, the students who worked on these channels used them to inform listeners about happenings on campus, while also playing musical selections and offering cultural programming. In doing so, the radio stations at HBCUs became pivotal resources for both the campus and the surrounding community.

But the landscape of university-based media is changing. Today, of the more than 100 HBCUs across the country, about 30 have radio stations. Some schools and students are pivoting to podcasts, for example, while others are shoring up their TikTok and short-form video bonafides. Stations have been shuttered, including WSHA in 2018, while others work to cultivate new audiences. What happens, then, to the decades’ worth of archival material made by previous generations as stations move on?

The HBCU Radio Preservation Project is working to ensure that the irreplaceable archives at these institutions are saved and accessible. As a result of the project’s efforts, WSHA’s archives are available through the American Archive of Public Broadcasting.

The original article details how the project works.

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