What a week!
The national elections this week produced turmoil and disappointment for many—even as the voters spoke loudly. At times like these, it can feel like the forces against accountability, truthfulness and inclusion are winning, no matter how you feel about the election’s outcome. But it is also at times like these, it is our civic institutions that hold us and help us to continue—not only continue a campaign for justice but also a campaign to find a path forward even when it seems impossible.
UCC Media Justice is one of those institutions, and we’re not going to stop now. We were founded in 1959, at a time when working for racial justice was literally a life-threatening pursuit. Our founder, the Reverend Dr. Everett C. Parker, would hide in the cover of darkness to gather information. The identity of the first UCC media monitors that held TV stations accountable in the 1950s was kept secret—even from Dr. Parker himself—to keep those brave volunteers safe. Institutions like UCC Media Justice bring people together when, individually, we might not succeed and endure even when the times we face are scary and difficult.
In these times, we will lean on our decades of effort to build up agreements in some areas where they felt impossible before. The new phone justice law, the Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act, was adopted unanimously in Congress and unanimously implemented at the Federal Communications Commission. We’re building on that bi-partisan work and filing in court against the phone companies that want to keep charging predatory rates and stop incarcerated people from staying in touch with their families.
And the experience of our nation during the pandemic proved to conservatives and progressives the need for affordable high-speed internet in the Affordable Connectivity Program. Vice President-Elect Vance has been a huge proponent of that program.
At the same time, threats to journalism and independent broadcasting are real. We’re alarmed at threats by President-Elect Trump to use Federal Communications Commission to intimidate broadcasters whose news coverage he dislikes. The willingness of the likely FCC leaders under the next Trump Administration to entertain these suggestions stands in contrast to FCC leaders in the first Trump Administration. UCC Media Justice is not afraid to take on threats to the First Amendment when our democracy is on the line.
And there is no denying that social media companies cannot be allowed to continue without answering for the dangerous content that pervades their platforms, regardless of how much harm and disinformation it spreads. Congress has been pressing for accountability for social media, and for artificial intelligence. If it is possible to find common ground on these issues, UCC Media Justice will be there, looking for a path forward, even as UCC Media Justice will oppose efforts to give more power to large corporations that threaten a true diversity of views. We will stand up against organs of government and large companies that threaten people of color, immigrants, women, trans people and others.
We’ve found ourselves in difficult political times before, and despite that darkness, we have found a way to light a candle and keep pressing forward. As a community founded in faith, we can draw on not only our recent history but also ancient texts, testimonies and heroes from thousands of years ago. Sometimes, we rely on the small, quiet voice to help us through difficult times.
So take some time to listen to the small quiet voices in your life this week. Take care of yourselves and the ones you love. Then, join us as we continue building our institutions of justice.
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