HBCU Radio Preservation Project: Denise Sanders
Denise Sanders discusses her lifelong interest in journalism and law, the unique value of HBCUs, campus life, and participating in the early stages of Fisk's radio.
Ready for your weekly dose of radio history? Of course you are! Listen to the new episode of the HBCU Radio Preservation Project today. As a collaborator in the project, the Margaret Walker Center serves as a repository for the histories of HBCU stations and the community members who have been a part of them.
Denise Sanders, graduate of Fisk University, was one of the initial staff members at WRFN (standing for Radio Free Nashville, later to be changed to WFSK). Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Denise reflects on growing up in a Jim Crow environment. Her mother was a librarian and stay-at-home mom, and her father was an accountant. Her sister was heavily involved in the local civil rights movement, and their parents encouraged them to pursue education while also being sure to instill in them values of self-worth, aspiration, and community. Denise’s early interests included reading, writing, and journalism. Inspired by her siblings’ experiences, Denise decided she wanted to attend an HBCU, and after visiting for a weekend, chose to study at Fisk.
‘‘I was interested because I was interested in communications, so that’s why I signed up to be a part of the radio station. There were some things we had to do…You had to pass that test and get that license in order to work at the station.”
Denise ultimately majored in English, but her interest in biology almost compelled her to pursue med school. She also studied political science, later attending law school. She was an assistant editor for the student newspaper, participated in choir, English Club, Delta Sigma Theta, and more. Sparked by her love for communications, she participated in the early stages of the campus radio. She recalls having to take an exam to get a third-class radio operator’s license and completing an internship at WSM TV station to gain experience. Located in a house-turned-business in Louisville, WRFN played music like blues and jazz as well as public service announcements and news. Overall, she enjoyed her experience with the radio station and reflects on how the students appreciated having a station tied to the university.
There’s much more to hear, so click on the video below!
About the Project
Each Wednesday, tune into our YouTube channel, @mwalkercenter, to catch a new oral history from the HBCU Radio Preservation Project!
We are proud to partner with several organizations for the HBCU Radio Preservation Project, which is dedicated to honoring and preserving the rich history and cultural resource of HBCU radio.
Here’s some more info from their website:
Much of the material created at these stations is at risk of being lost, though they document the rich history and diversity of the Black experience through the Civil Rights era and beyond. The goals are to preserve the stations’ audio collections and to foster a community of sustainability for the stations and institutional archives on campus.
The project provides preservation training and workshops for campus stations, archivists and community members, recruiting HBCU graduates as interns and fellows.
Field archivists will collaborate with stations and campus archivists on collections assessments and follow-up field services such as inventories, reformatting, rehousing, and other preservation activities.
Oral historians will interview a range of community members to document the history of the stations. Training in gathering oral histories and using historical audio in content creation will also be offered. Other goals include launching an interactive website, a podcast series, and annual symposia.
