Rochester's Anti-Racist Movement Visits WHAM

The Rochester Anti-Racist Movement (ARM) went to the offices of WHAM radio today to talk with the station management about Bob Lonsberry's recent racist, sexist and classist remarks. After the meeting ARM gave a press conference, calling for him to be removed from the air.

The recent (June 10, 2008) comments made by Bob Lonsberry on WHAM 1180 were an unacceptable continuation of Mr. Lonsberry’s history of on- air racism, sexism and classism. For far too long Mr. Lonsberry has been permitted to cross the boundaries of decent discourse. It is apparent that he feels entirely comfortable, to say nothing of completely justified, in making hateful, hurtful, and erroneous statements about people of color, women, and people who are poor. His expressed views both tap and reinforce an undercurrent of hostility, which serves to perpetuate the social divisions of our community and calls to question our community’s resolve to eradicate those divisions.

Therefore, it is with a high degree of resolve that ARM calls for the removal of Bob Lonsberry from the public airwaves. The offensive content of Mr. Lonsberry’s remarks will not be allowed to hang, unchallenged, in our communal air. No individual should have the sense of entitlement that permits them to continually pollute that communal air.

Specifically, we are outraged that Mr. Lonsberry believes he can, with impunity:

• Disrespect young women who have overcome obstacles by stereotyping them as immoral, while choosing to ignore the varied circumstances, both social and individual, that created those obstacles in the first place.
• Demean these young women by the use of blatantly sexist language.
• Disparage the hard work of African American students by arbitrarily de-valuing the considerable achievement of attaining a grade B average.

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