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 Jack Kurzweil, as a graduate student, was involved in the Free Speech Movement and the Vietnam Day Committee. As a Professor of Electrical Engineering at San Jose State University he was President of the SJSU California Faculty Association chapter (CFA). As a member of the CFA State Executive Board he co-chaired the Peace and Justice Committee. He represented the union on the Santa Clara County Central Labor Council. He was actively engaged in the defense of Angela Davis and the Soledad Brothers as well as Chile solidarity work. Since retirement, he has been involved in voter registration and anti war activities, primarily through the Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club.
Candidacy Statement:
I am Jack Kurzweil, a candidate for Local Station Board as part of the Concerned Listeners group. I have been a KPFA listener and supporter since I arrived in the Bay Area in 1961.
KPFA was stunning to me; I had never before heard such a diversity of ideas embedded in a commitment to social change. This combination, diversity and commitment, helped to propel me through the social upheavals of the 60’s and 70’s and sustain me through the bleak political landscape of subsequent times.
We are again entering a period of social upheaval and again KPFA’s voice, diversity and commitment, can be an important part of helping to articulate and navigate the complexities of our time. I am running for the Board because I would like to be part of that process.
Although I have made my mark as a student radical in the 1960’s, my primary political work in the past decades has been that of a leader of my union, the California Faculty Association. (I taught Electrical Engineering at San Jose State University, now retired.) As in most unions, the members all want pretty much the same things. But they approach the complex problems of how you think about goals and processes in very different ways. A good leader better be able to make room for everyone, promote good ideas whatever their source, and achieve unity though diversity.
I think that this is part of the challenge facing KPFA and Pacifica today. I think that KPFA should be the voice of the entire liberal and progressive community of Northern California, the place that everyone goes to get the best news, analysis, and commentary. And I think that KPFA should reclaim its place in the cultural vanguard of our community.
This means a collaborative relationship between Board and Management, between professional staff and volunteers, and recognition that our energy should be directed toward strengthening the station.
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