Our allies at KPFK 90.7 FM in Los Angeles are facing a boycott campaign from pro-war website “Join the Boycott,” pressuring companies like Ralphs Grocery Company to stop advertising on KPFK.
The Sojourner Truth Radio Show on KPFK airs “Earth Watch” and “Earth Minute” in partnership with Global Justice Ecology Project each week. Read on for an official statement from KPFK, and support the station here.
Ralphs Grocery Company has decided to sever its relationship with KPFK 90.7FM, and KPFK concurs with that decision. Since October 2014, KPFK has partnered with Ralphs Community Contribution donation program in exchange for placing their logo on our website. At Ralphs’ request, we have removed those logos and divested the station from its support of Ralphs.
Ralphs has succumbed to pressure from the pro-war website “Join the Boycott,” which instigated a social media campaign and active protest against Ralphs because of the grocery company’s support of KPFK. Kendra Doyel, Vice President of Public Relations and Government Affairs for Ralphs, cited emails and a protest at Ralphs’ Beverwill and Pico location that claimed KPFK is “anti-Israel” and “anti-Semitic.” This is the second time Ralphs has endorsed “Join the Boycott’s” opposition to KPFK, the first time in 2009. After a conversation about KPFK’s opposition to war waged by any nation, including Israel and the United States, Doyel still insisted on discontinuing Ralphs support of the station.
Doyel added that the decsion had been made “at the highest levels.” Ralphs is a division of The Kroger Corporation. In February, numerous business journals reported that Krogers had entered into discussions to expand into Israel, its first overseas venture.
“Join the Boycott” is an arm of the Jewish Community Relations Council. According to the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network, “Over the years, JCRC of San Francisco has attacked numerous people of color-led, community-based organizations who have taken a stand in support of Palestinian rights and self-determination. One of the most common tactics of the JCRC is economic coercion—threatening the funding of organizations by reaching out to their funders and claiming that the organization is practicing antisemitism simply for taking a stance for Palestinian human rights. They then demand that the organization apologize for this solidarity and go against their own principles in defense of Israel in order to protect their funding for the community-based services they provide.”
KPFK 90.7FM recognizes that the fight for peace requires sacrifice, and we stand in solidarity with our anti-war Jewish and Gentile program hosts, staff, supporters, and listeners. We remain pledged to the search for peace, and we will not align this station with war-mongers and war-promoters.
At the same time, we are open to dialogue with Ralphs and “Join the Boycott.” If either organization would like to discuss KPFK and Pacifica’s anti-war position, we are available for that conversation. If you would like to encourage that conversation, Kendra Doyel can be reached at ke**********@ra****.com and 310-884-4141.
