What first struck us when we pulled up outside KOWA Low Power FM Radio's headquarters at Media Island in Olympia, Washington, was the awesome terraced garden beds in the sloping front yard. The front windows and door were papered with flyers and stickers for various local and national activist groups, and in the doorway we were greeted by an amazing collection of pamphlets and zines. Every inch of space seemed to be used to spread information, resources, and resilience. We soon discovered this is a theme at KOWA. Shawna Hawk, the station manager, treated us to a tour of Media Island, which is a full house conversion. The radio studio is headquartered in a few rooms, and other rooms serve as a lounge, library, and meeting space for events and activist groups. There is also a kitchen that hosts its own share of events. The garden continues around the back, and when we were there, Shawna excitedly showed us a mural project in progress and some newly inoculated mushroom beds. We sat in the shade of a beautiful tree in the backyard while Shawna answered our questions about KOWA and her own personal journey.
KOWA was born out of Media Island, an organization and fiscal umbrella that provides space and resources. Started by Evergreen College students from the area, KOWA has been on air for about 14 years. Shawna came to KOWA circa 2014 from a background in talk radio and working as a singer and dancer. She appreciated the fact that the station was a safe space to offer alternative perspectives and talk about hardships and social issues. Now as the station's manager, she runs the station's programming and also helps coordinate other projects and events at the station, like the garden and the monthly brunch she hosts with her non-profit, the Women of Color in Leadership Movement. She shares with us her passion for music and dance and their importance in African history and culture as well as their significance to Black/African American people.
This significance is part of what inspired her to take to radio in order to share music that often doesn't get shared in a culture so focused on music produced by and for white people and perspectives. Her goal with KOWA is to continue its legacy as a safe space and a resource for all members of the community while also centering perspectives outside of the dominant white liberal narrative. As a Black woman in leadership at a predominantly white space and the predominantly white liberal community of Olympia, Shawna aims to help people of color take up more space, build community, and find resources. After Trump took office in early 2017, Shawna put up images and information about some of the Orishas originating from the Yoruba region to help her feel more spiritually grounded and "take up space". Ultimately, she wants to see KOWA become more well-known and utilized by the community and also be a space where Black and Brown people can come together and connect. She cites the healing potential in this last idea as a great source of possible change in Olympia and beyond.
At the end of our visit, we got to record an announcement about the Radical Mapping Project, which was played on KOWA during their programming. They play interviews and material from local people and events as well as syndicated radio materials like Democracy Now and Hard Knock Radio. At the time of our interview, although KOWA is mostly talk radio, Shawna was doing a show with some music on Sundays. You can stream KOWA here, check out their program schedule, and get tapped into their events and such on their Facebook. Media Island is also a good one to check out. Here's their site and their Facebook. Lastly, you can learn more about the Women of Color in Leadership Movement here and donate to support them on this page (a page from Shawna's own website!). By the way, Media Island is poster goals (see above)!