Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging at BPR
Blue Ridge Public Radio’s mission is to inform, inspire, connect, and reflect the people of WNC.
We are fully committed to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB). This commitment leads us to model inclusion in our news sources that inform our reporting, and in the conversations, we convene in the community. It also drives the makeup of our staff, Board of Directors, and Community Advisory Board, and how we spend money and conduct our business.
Equity and inclusion are guiding values in how BPR carries out its operations.
To achieve this, BPR is working to foster a culture of belonging and accessibility – on the air, online, in the halls of our facilities, and in our interactions with the community – that embraces diversity of race, culture, ethnic background, gender, generation, geographic (i.e. WNC), disability and sexual orientation and perspectives.
In short, we want our organization and our journalism to reflect – and uplift – the diverse perspectives of people across Western North Carolina.
We actively seek Board of Directors Members, Community Advisory Board members and staff who embody the aspects of diversity outlined above; diversity helps us make better decisions and better content, because both are informed and reflect multiple perspectives.
To help realize this vision, it has long been - and remains - the policy of BPR to provide equal opportunity, prohibit discrimination and combat all forms of harassment. We have further pledged to become an anti-racist organization through our commitment to the principles of Public Media for All.*
Finally, BPR also certifies that this work will never end. It is an iterative and ongoing process. With that in mind, BPR has specific goals to integrate equity practices across the organization and grow BPR’s audience across the region.
We invite our community to learn with us, to critique us, and to offer ideas and solutions to make BPR your public radio station, and the public radio station for ALL in Western North Carolina. Please reach out to us with your questions, comments, or concerns at equity@bpr.org.
*Public Media for All
In Fall 2020 BPR signed a three-year commitment to support the mission of Public Media for All PMFA, a nationwide coalition of public broadcasting workers, led by people of color. We continue to meet regularly with colleagues convened by the volunteers at PMFA to advance our individual and collective efforts to improve diversity, equity, inclusion at BPR and in the public media system.
BPR is independent of Public Media for All (PMFA) and does not have a binding agreement to adopt or follow PMFA’s action items.
Links:
- BPR 2023 Report to the Community on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging
- BPR 2023 Source Diversity Study Results
- A statement from BPR staff on racial justice
- Apply to BPR’s community forum
