We are proud to announce the newest member of the KVRU family, Lynn Doan! They will be our Community Media Organizer, a new position made possible by the Equitable Development Initiative. Lynn (they/them) is a social work professional and community activist, constantly seeking ways to promote healing opportunities within Seattle. Raised in White Center by their Vietnamese refugee family, Lynn is passionate about transcending boundaries by centering BIPOC experiences, storytelling, and arts.
For the past 7 months, Lynn has been supporting KVRU’s Outreach and Education Committee by building connections with Southeast Seattle media creators, facilitating opportunities for media justice education, and improving infrastructure for volunteer engagement. One of the things they will focus on in this expanded role is bringing together a team of community reporters – helping people gain ownership over the media published in the areas where they live.
Q&A with Lynn
What do you love about KVRU 105.7 FM and Community Radio?
Media serves as the material in which we connect with one another in local community settings to the wider global arena. I love that KVRU 105.7 FM addresses the intersections of media and socioeconomic justice—making KVRU an intriguing setting for community building. This Community Radio allows us to join together, celebrate our full spectrum of experiences, and collectively listen in to what our diverse communities find important. And with KVRU as the soundtrack, we can move and dance with one another into a reality that embraces all of us.
What excites you about this new position?
The Community Media Organizer position is so exciting to me and I look forward to supporting local community partners and groups that already do incredible work in the community to then present their knowledge on local radio. I’m also excited to aid in increasing people’s access to tech skills/resources.
What in your past helped prepare you for this position?
I am who I am because of my ongoing journey to connect with my ancestral heritage. I grew up as someone of the Vietnamese diaspora or “Việt Kiều,” and experienced silences that have me grieving losses of various levels. As an effort to understand my family and the forces that led us out of Vietnam, I found relief through Vietnamese folklore and language-reclaiming, while also paying attention to community activism led by queer Black and Indigenous local leaders. Valuing storytelling, cultivating empathy, and honing a strong sense for justice is what prepared me for this Community Media Organizing role.
What are some of your goals within the first month?
I will work on bringing together a core team of community reporters for the News Reporting Circle. Strategic organizing through the News Reporting Circle and with Cultural Producer partners would help direct diverse people into career pathways in media creation too. By increasing the presence of local people having ownership over the media published for the areas in which they live in, information becomes more relatable, useful, and accountable to the people.
