What color are dead people?

Okay, that’s an odd question – but we’re talking government here.

The current FCC Commission is obsessed with race and gender and a couple weeks ago rolled out more detailed forms requiring station owners to declare what their Race is and what their “Ethnicity” is (hispanic or non-hispanic).  FCC forms don’t yet require a declaration of sexual orientation or vegetarian food preferences.

Corporations don’t have races. Radio One is not a “Black” owner, it is a publicly traded corporation managed by and targeted at black people. This desire to count Hispanic, Black and Women owners in order to be “fair” creates some odd outcomes.

Take the case of station WTJH-AM in East Point Georgia.
Peruse the New FCC Ownership report.

This station has been “silent” for a long time. Looking at Google Maps, there does not even appear to be an antenna any more. The format of the station used to be “Gospel” – which can be a bit vague – it could mean “Southern Gospel” (White People) or “Black Gospel” (victims of slavery) or it could just be a color-blind view of Jesus and his love for everyone (not likely).

The station has a Facebook Page which strongly implies the station is a “Black” station.

The ownership report says the license is controlled by the for profit Christian Broadcasting of East Point, which is in turn controlled by the ESTATE of L.E. Willis, who is earlier ownership reports is identified as a Black or African American Male. 

Bishop Levi Willis died in 2009 at the age of 79. Since Mr Willis is now dead, his Estate is an “entity” not a person, so therefore the 11 radio stations he controlled are now not “Black” stations.

Back about 20 years ago, well meaning people in the United States fought very hard to end “Racial Classification” laws in South Africa. Maybe it is time to do the same in the United States.

Be sure to read the obituary.   Mr Willis was a tax cheat, failed to pay royalties for the music his stations played, owned a bank that failed, and oh….  he was a leader in the Democratic Party in the Norfolk area and a friend of Jesse Jackson.