Dear President Catherine Fisher and the NCRA Board,

We write today to express our solidarity and thanks to the National Campus and Community Radio Association of Canada for its decision to endorse Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel until it ends its violations of fundamental Palestinian rights.

The resolution, passed at NCRA’s recent convention, makes clear why BDS is a moral, ethical and political imperative for cultural workers and media makers. BDS is a decision to not be complicit in Israeli crimes. It is a decision to reject official Canadian complicity in Israel’s colonization, dispossession, occupation and apartheid, and instead take a stand for international solidarity, justice and liberation. It is a decision to respect, heed, and take up the call of the oppressed – the call of Palestinian civil society, cultural workers, academics, activists, and grassroots organizers – for BDS, and for academic and cultural boycott.

Community radio is, in NCRA’s words, about “volunteerism, social engagement, independent music, learning by doing, community capacity building, citizen journalism and more.” [http://ncra.ca/about-cc-radio] Community radio provides an outlet to voices suppressed, silence and unheard in corporate media. This is why NCRA’s resolution comes alongside AMARC’s (the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters) recent adoption of BDS [http://www.usacbi.org/2011/01/amarc-world-association-of-community-radio-broadcasters-joins-bds-movement/], and the U.S.-based Allied Media Conference – attended by thousands of grassroots media makers – included a BDS track at its July 2011 session [http://alliedmedia.org/amc2011/program/amc2011-tracks]. BDS and cultural boycott is the logical and ethical choice for community media makers, and exemplifies the principles and commitments of community radio.

It is very important that the voices of media makers and cultural workers of conscience continue to be heard. International solidarity is a vital part of activism and community organizing – and it is an expression of direct solidarity with Palestinian media makers and cultural workers who have called for cultural and academic boycott and BDS.

Again, we express our strongest support for NCRA’s resolution and believe it is a strong step forward that also provides meaningful support to our campaigns in the U.S. in community radio and grassroots media spaces to support Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, and the academic and cultural boycott of Israel.

Thank you for supporting the voices of the oppressed and taking a stand to reject complicity with apartheid, occupation and dispossession.

Best,

The U.S. Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (USACBI)