Video Transcript

Black Power 96 is a small independent black community FM radio station in St. Petersburg, Florida. We are fighting a battle in federal court that, if we win, will set case law precedent to protect the First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and association for all media institutions and individuals against the threat of defunding by those in power who seek to eliminate dissent.

Every day in the news, we read about another big media company or educational institution bowing to pressure and throwing their principles out the window.

Black Power 96 Radio is a small station with big impact and we refuse to abandon our mission. We are a project of the African People’s Education and Defense Fund, the baddest nonprofit on the planet. Our mission is to defend the human and civil rights of the African community through our educational and cultural programming to provide professional radio broadcasting training and to promote economic development and self-reliance in the African community.

Black Power 96 radio is a unique and important institution serving the Black community of South St. Petersburg where most residents live below the poverty level and commonly don’t have internet in the home. During hurricane season, we broadcast life-saving preparedness tips and timely updates on shelter and transportation resources.

Well, keep it locked on Black Power 96.3 FM. From time to time, I’ll check in and we’ll go together and get through this storm. Get through this terrible weather together as we get prepared for Hurricane Milton headed toward the coastal area of Tampa Bay and the Sarasota area. So, again, we’re going to get through this together, you and me, me and you and I. We are Black people united again.

This community-run radio station gives voice to the stories, viewpoints, musical talent, and economic initiatives to uplift our community. We provide free training and internships to local residents of all ages. The station’s weekly local-goes-global contest gives radio exposure to our talented unsigned musical artists, helping them build a fan base and get gigs and recording contracts.

In 2022, Black Power 96 applied for federal money from the American Rescue Plan Act that was being administered by the local county government. The ARPA money was supposed to assist groups and projects that had been negatively impacted by the COVID pandemic. The station asked for $37,000 to make equipment purchases that had been cancelled after revenue was lost during and after COVID.

Black Power 96 application was ranked fourth highest of 55 applicants.

In November 2022, Pinellas County Commission voted to approve our application.

In January 2023, APEDF received the contract for the grant, signed it, and returned it. In February 2023, a newly arrived Pinellas County Commissioner, Chris Lebala, challenged Black Power 96’s grant award. He slandered the African People’s Education and Defense Fund by falsely claiming that our nonprofit ran candidates for office, which we do not, and which would have lost us our nonprofit status. He falsely charged us with antisemitism and that our nonprofit was under FBI investigation, which we were not. He said that the county should never provide funding to the African People’s Education and Defense Fund.

The African People’s Education and Defense Fund received money for radio station equipment.

Yes.

Was that for Black Power 96 in St. Petersburg? Radio station.

Yeah, I think that is for their radio station. According to their website, they are associated with the African People’s Education and Defense Fund based in St. Petersburg.

Five days later, the county voted to revoke Black Power 96’s $37,000 grant.

Florida has sunshine laws requiring government officials to be transparent and do their business in public view.

Did the place already get the money? No. They may try to sue for discrimination, which is why I focused on the radio station aspect the other day. The contract was literally sitting on the CEO’s desk. I told staff after the workshop I was going to bring it back up to try to kill it. Don’t publicize either of those things, please. I will not.

The county did not notify the African People’s Education and Defense Fund, nor the public that a motion would be introduced to revoke Black Power 96 grants. They hid their shameful act in the last obscure agenda item buried underneath the title County Commission New Business. Okay. And number 24 is the county commission new business pertinent timely committee boards updates and policy considerations. Let’s start with Commissioner Lala.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I actually have two items that I’d like to discuss. The first one is on Thursday we talked about the ARPA funding and I had some questions about that and I would like to make a motion to revoke the funding for African People’s Education and Defense Fund in the amount of $36,81 for a radio station because I do not think that we should be funding radio stations with the amount of needs that there are in our community.

I second that.

Okay. It’s been moved by Commissioner Lala and seconded by Commissioner Flowers. And now we open for discussion. There was no public discussion. Just a unanimous vote to revoke Black Power 96 radio’s funding.

At the following commission meeting, community members spoke out in support of the station. I’ve grown up here and witnessed the gentrification of my city ever since I was in middle school. Walking around, I could see things being demolished right before my eyes. Black Power 96 has been serving the Black community for over half a decade now, providing vital public service announcements, news, and culture. I’m thankful and fortunate to be offered an opportunity at the radio station. Sorry, um, as a programmer, as a program engineer for Black Power 96. However, I’m not the first student to work at Black Power 96. A group of Gibbs High School students got their start there with a radio show called No Class. And now my comrade Nielsen Media Group, which is a radio company, has made it big, and I want to be able to do the same and see the same thing in my community. Thank you. I’m a resident of St. Petersburg, Florida, my whole life. I’m 52 years old. I was born and raised here. There’s been nobody like Black Power 96 in this city ever. Nobody has done for the community what this station does for the community. Speaking as a local artist and an author, this station, like them, took my material and they actually put it out with no hassle. They got it to the people. They got the word out to the community that I had a book that was intentionally designed for incarcerated Black men to help us overcome these obstacles. This station has stood in the forefront for the Black community and it’s always been an eye-opener. It’s a shame that they had to have these funds taken away from them after they have been granted and the station really needs it and the station can use it because it helps the community. My name is Achila Ana, born and raised in St. Petersburg, Florida, and I’m the director of media and communications for the Uhuru movement. I’m here today as an outraged citizen of Pinellas County, because of the recent decision by this commission to revoke the ARPA grant funds previously awarded to the APF radio station WBPULP 96.3 FM or famously known as Black Power 96. This vote came days after a commission meeting where commissioners slandered the Uhuru movement, making baseless claims and accusations. Lala and Flowers spearheaded this attack and the rest of the commission followed suit with the assertion that no organization affiliated with the Uhuru movement should be considered for funding. The Uhuru movement founded and led by Omali Echhatella has served the historically oppressed and impoverished Black community for over five decades creating programs, institutions and campaigns that defend the democratic rights of Black people. This commission cannot say the same. When our people were in need of a community center, a health and wellness program, free HIV testing, youth sports and other recreation, cultural centers, educational institutions, the Uhuru movement provided them. It has been this movement that has fought long and hard for genuine economic development and reparations to our community. Something that at every turn the government has worked to intervene and put a stop to.

The county ignored them. Then in April 2023, the Pinellas County Foundation, which had been contracted by the county to evaluate grant applications, released their results for the second round of ARPA funding. They again ranked Black Power 96 fourth highest of 79 applicants and recommended granting the station $67,000 for a backup generator. The following month, following behind the scenes orders from the commissioners, county staff issued a recommendation to cancel three nonprofits, including Black Power 96, from the funding list because they didn’t document a COVID-related economic impact or need. This was despite the fact that independent reviewers had praised Black Power 96’s application for its clear demonstration of COVID impact and need. The staff recommended giving the combined nearly $2 million in allocations for the three canceled nonprofits to GF Coast Jewish Family and Community Services, a nonprofit for which Renee Flowers, the commissioner who had most enthusiastically backed Lala’s motion against Black Power 96, had been employed up until her election to the county commission.

In June 2023, they came up with a new reason to deny funding for Black Power 96 backup generator. Under pressure from county commissioners, the Pinellas County Foundation added a footnote to the recommendation list stating they were quote concerned about the inability to isolate the applicant’s project to the sole benefit of a 501(c)(3) direct service nonprofit which is required by the grant program guidelines.” No such concern was raised about the YMCA, which received millions in ARPA funding for facility construction and upgrades that will benefit any of the groups or individuals that rent space at the Y. So on October 10, 2023, the African People’s Education and Defense Fund filed suit in federal court demanding restoration of all funding and charging Pinellas County with violating nonprofits’ First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and freedom of association as well as with racial discrimination and denial of due process.

The county is spending vast sums of money on a high-powered private law firm to defend their unconstitutional acts. They filed a motion to dismiss with lies about the Uhuru movement so egregious they were forced to strike and withdraw.

But a year later, Judge Barber dismissed the station’s case. This spring, the African People’s Education and Defense Fund filed an appeal with the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. Oral arguments will be heard in this case in Jacksonville, Florida in the first week of November 2025. The African People’s Education and Defense Fund salutes the brilliant work of attorneys Luke Lero and Rachel Ricks. When the cost of pursuing justice in this case became prohibitive for this small station, renowned First Amendment attorney Lero offered to continue the case pro bono, declaring it too important to drop. Now, Black Power 96 is simply needing to raise funds for the actual case cost of filing, printing, and travel. To support this small station fighting this big battle on behalf of everyone’s right to dissent and justice, you can make a tax-deductible donation at blackpower96.org/legalfund and join us in court this November in Jacksonville. Because at Black Power 96, we’re not just explaining the world, we’re changing it.