Citadel Broadcasting is paving the way for the return of misogynist poster boy Don Imus to the public airwaves. If the deal goes through, Imus’ debut will be Dec. 1, and already there’s talk that the show may go into syndication. Imus was fired by CBS and NBC last spring for his derogatory and misogynist comments about the Rutgers women’s basketball team.

The National Organization for Women was the first women’s organization to speak out against Don Imus’ insulting and degrading language directed at those accomplished young women, generating over 30,000 message through our website. In April, NOW and other civil rights organizations went to New York City and told CBS and MSNBC that it was time for Imus to go.

“CBS and MSNBC did the right thing and fired Don Imus. Not one but two major media corporations understood the cost of hate speech and the value of public confidence,” said NOW President Kim Gandy. “Now, after a six-month vacation and a seven-figure settlement, Imus is looking for a comeback with another big corporation. It’s like a bad dream. Didn’t they learn anything? No one has a right to a platform on the radio — if they did, we’d have more talk shows than we have airtime.”

So what does it say to the public when a big corporation provides a stage for someone with a history of using the public airwaves for hateful and racist speech? It says they’ve made a choice about the kind of audience they want, and women and people of color aren’t included.

NOW has alerted supporters so they can write to Citadel Broadcasting urging them to reconsider, and to take a stand against hate speech.

En 1998, mas que 800 de mujeres activistas vinieron juntas en La Cumbre Mujeres Del Color Y Aliadas de la Fundaci�n NOW, para responder a los problemas enfrentando a mujeres del color en los Estados Unidos. Venimos juntos ahora otra vez para determinar el progreso que hemos hecho y desarrollar estrategias y un plan de la acci�n por los a�os que vienen. Sea una parte de esta reuni�n hist�rica.
Cuando: Viernes, Abril El 1 - Domingo, Abril El 3 De 2005
Donde: El Hotel De Doubletree,Ciudad Cristalina, Arlington, Virginia (D.C. Metro Area)
Las oradoras Invitadas Incluyen: Hon. Maxine Waters, Wilma Mankiller, Karen Williams, Lateefah Simon, Linda Chavez Thompson, Azar Nafisi, Aileen Hernandez.
Visitar RInow.org para m�s informaci�n o contactar Erin Hanna en 401-413-3964 o v�a el email a ErinHannaRINOW@aol.com

In 1998, over 800 women activists came together at the NOW Foundation’s Women of Color and Allies Summit to respond to the issues facing women of color in the United States. Now we come together again to assess the progress we’ve made and develop strategies and a plan of action for the coming years. Be a part of this historic gathering!
JOIN US
When: Friday, April 1 - Sunday, April 3, 2005

Where: Doubletree Hotel Crystal City, Arlington, Va. (D.C. Metro Area)

Invited Speakers Include: Hon. Maxine Waters, Wilma Mankiller, Karen Williams, Lateefah Simon, Linda Chavez Thompson, Azar Nafisi, Aileen Hernandez

Click here for informacion en espanol.