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| Keith Dorsey |
As an alumnus of the Family Leadership Training Institute (FLTI), Keith developed knowledge and skills to support his engagement with systems at the individual, community, and policy level.
Keith credits FLTI and the Dayton Street Opportunity Center for the incubation and creation of Community Voice Radio. Because FLTI training integrates core lessons in leadership skill development, civic literacy, and civic engagement, the leadership experience underscores a proven implementation model grounded in diversity, shared leadership, and respect for the unique assets of each community.
He also served as the host of “Focus on the Community,” showcased through DCTV from 2003 through 2005. In this Q&A, Keith shares his vision and passion for community engagement in the City of Aurora and beyond.
What is your primary charge at Community Voice Radio?
Oftentimes, members of the community are misinformed or uninformed, so several FLTI Alumni realized an opportunity to educate and orientate the community on policies, upcoming legislative status, board and commission vacancies and opportunities, requests for proposals, etc. We realized segments of the community were not being informed or were misinformed and missed opportunities for engagement.
We found that people weren’t learning out about opportunities until they’ve come and gone. At Community Voice, we strike a balance between educating people and exercising the power of civic engagement. We helped engage in voter registration drives and service provider opportunities. On the show, we talk about resources for small businesses to thrive and the important to reach a broader audience who can benefit from resources and services.
My passion in leadership evolved from helping people. My mission in life is to bring people, resources and opportunities together for purpose of change, growth and development in policy, community and business. As an African male, born in America, I am part of one of the most underserved and disenfranchised market segments. I’ve experienced a lot of the inequities and disparities, and I realized that the only to change what I don’t like is to get involved myself. I began to look at other people – their plights and conditions – and saw the commonality of experiences.
How did you get your start in broadcasting?
As a graduate of the African American Leadership Institute of Denver, my community project was to interview community leaders, business owners and elected officials including City Council President Michael Hancock and Mayor John Hickenlooper. I realized the local community access television was a few blocks from AALI and membership provided a way to talk about the community issues on a broader platform. I started interviewing people through the membership-based community television nonprofit which providing training on how to operate camera and audio equipment.
What are some of the needs being served by Community Voice Radio?
Walking in the skin I walk in, I understand the challenges in accessing information. We’re a source and catalyst in helping people identify and navigate to the opportunities and resources in the community such as community engagement, academic improvement programs and community base services. We inform our listening audience about local events and opportunities in business including technical assistance, data collection, analysis and evaluations that lead to procurement opportunities.
As far as policy, we inform our audience on how to use the data to engage as well as discuss what issues to advocate for and support. Community Voice also creates opportunities to discuss how issues may impact community through interviews with community leaders and stakeholders who appear on the show.
Community Voice Radio is available through internet because it allows us to reach a wider, global audience relevant to public safety issues. Aurora, Colorado is one of the most diverse cities in the United States. We have community team members who returned from Senegal bringing art and clothes that we marketed through the show. Proceeds from the art sale went toward building a school in Gueoul, Senegal. We’ve also interviewed local people in Gueoul, Senegal and Accra, Ghana, who have requested our assistance to bring products to Aurora, so they can fund projects that help people abroad.
There are many opportunities for cultural exchange on an international level, and make connections locally. It’s important to be involved with local stakeholders to create a more welcoming, equitable and inclusive environment.
That’s why I work with the planning team for the City of Aurora Race Forum. The committee creates ways for safe and honest dialogue about race and racism. Members of the planning team are passionately engaged, and I am honored to be part of deeper engagement of the issues through Community Voice Radio. We’ve interviewed people of government agencies, organizations and departments that participate in supporting the race forum events such as the City of Aurora Police Department, Human Relations Commission and the Aurora Branch of the NAACP. We expand their narrative and their message out to a larger audience online and offline.
We got involved in ImmiFest in July, the first one that focused on the Pan-African community. ImmiFest was hosted at Aurora Cultural Arts District (ACAD), home of About Town Media Broadcast Station. Even though we were not explicitly asked to participate, we decided that we couldn’t let the opportunity go to get involved. We set up a table at ImmiFest and went on the air live at the event, to let people know about the celebration.
What do you find most enjoyable about the work that you do?
I enjoy addressing issues that are important to the community. There’s so much going on in our society, as far as atrocities and trauma that are keeping people from connecting on a deeper level authentically.
When we look at communities that have the most disparities and inequities, it’s clear that systems affect communities of color, for example, the school-to-prison pipeline for African American males. Through the show, we have conversations about historical trauma and cognitive dissonance. I believe it’s my responsibility to ensure that our young people have an opportunity to learn from the past as they build the future.
In addition to local issues, some of the conversations we have on Community Voice Radio help to facilitate the healing solution of trust to combat trauma. Once we understand the history of capitalism and institutions such as slavery, we understand how they affect our current reality.