Why We Are Here
WireTap is the Webby-winning news and culture magazine by and for young people interested in social change. Here, you will learn about political issues that matter to young people, and hear from young activists, as they articulate their vision and describe their work that turns individual hopes into collective, political possibilities.
WireTap informs young audiences in their own voices, creates a space for reflection and discussion, attracts young readers alienated from politics, connects information to action, and inserts the perspective of young people into the crowded media landscape that often lacks the youth perspective.
We train emerging journalists to create high-quality content that pays particular attention to often-overlooked issues young people care about, such as the education system, juvenile justice issues, and declining social mobility to name a few. We also provide a national platform for young community organizers and student activists to articulate their own vision and connect it to their work.
In addition to reaching over 80,000 readers of our site, the voices and issues of WireTap are then syndicated by our partners, such as The Nation online, AlterNet.org, The Chicago Sun Times, Rock the Vote, and the League of Young Voters among others, reaching a combined audience of over 2 millions readers.
WireTap is a project of the Tides Center, and a proud member of the Generation Vote collaborative.
WireTap Staff
Jamilah King, is Wiretap's associate editor. Born and raised in
San Francisco, her writing focuses on race, politics, music and issues
affecting young communities of color. She's worked as an organizer
with the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition and the
Service Employees International Union (SEIU). An avid sports fan, she
believes that the Warriors will win a championship -- one day. She
received degrees in English and Black Studies from Pitzer College in
2007 and is a graduate of the Movement Activist Apprenticeship Program
(MAAP). In addition to Wiretap, her writing has also appeared in Pop and Politics, The Nation online and the San Francisco Bay Guardian.
Contact her at Jamilah AT wiretapmag DOT org.
Tomas Palermo is Managing Editor of WireTap magazine. As the former editor of XLR8R magazine from 1999 to 2005, Tomas was instrumental in developing it from a free zine into an international publication covering cutting-edge music and youth culture. Tomas earned a B.A. in English and Peace Studies at Loyola Marymount University, was active in the anti-Apartheid movement and hosted radio shows on LA's independent KXLU 88.9 FM where he served as Public Affairs director. Recently, he worked with non-profit youth development agency The DJ Project to produce the Grind & Glory hip-hop talent contest. Currently, Tomas tutors 11th grade English classes at Mission and coaches high school distance running in San Francisco.
Contact him at Tomas AT wiretapmag DOT org.
As an editor and publisher of WiretapMag.org, Kristina Rizga thinks she has the best job in the country. Every day she gets to work with brave and brilliant young journalists and activists. Prior to Wiretap, Kristina worked as an organizer and editor at Media Alliance -- a coalition of progressive reporters working for media reform -- and at AlterNet.org as an associate editor. Kristina's writing has appeared in a variety of alternative weeklies and magazines, including The Nation online, AlterNet.org, The San Francisco Bay Guardian and many amazing, but small music magazines you've never heard of. When she is not working, Kristina goes out dancing as much as possible, hosts dinner parties for her friends, reads excessive amount of magazines, and debates politics and religion with her husband. She moved to the U.S. from Latvia in 1994, and holds a B.A. in History from U.C. Berkeley.
Contact her at Kristina AT wiretapmag DOT org.
Board of Advisors
Tanzila Ahmed, 26, is the founder of South Asian American Voting Youth, a national nonprofit organization that promotes civic engagement among South Asian American youth. She is currently pursuing her Master's in Public Policy at UCLA.
Biko Baker is a nationally recognized hip hop organizer, academic and journalist. Biko served as the Deputy Publicity Coordinator and Young Voter Organizer for the Brown and Black Presidential Forum (a nationally televised presidential debate which aired on msnbc). He was also the lead organizer for Slam Bush, a national rap and poetry battle. Biko is currently the League of Young Voters Institute Director, a national organizer for the National Hip Hop Political Convention, and he also works with the Campaign Against Violence. Biko holds a B.A. in Political Science and Africology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a M.A. in African American Studies from UCLA, and is currently working on a Ph.D. in history from UCLA. Biko is also a frequent contributor to The Source.
Andrea Batista Schlesinger is the executive director of the Drum Major Institute, a progressive think-tank, originally founded by an advisor to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the civil rights movement. DMI seeks to change policy by conducting research into overlooked, but important social and economic issues, and by offering platforms to amplify the ideas of those who are working for social and economic fairness. Andrea has worked in various capacities to promote educational equity and youth empowerment. She directed a national campaign to engage college students in the discussion on the future of Social Security for the Pew Charitable Trusts, and served as Director of Public Relations of Teach For America before working as the education advisor to Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer. Andrea has been profiled in the New York Times, New Yorker magazine, Latina Magazine and in 'Hear us Now,' an award-winning documentary about her tenure as the student member of the New York City Board of Education.
Adrienne Maree Brown, 29, is the executive director of The Ruckus Society, which brings nonviolent direct action training to communities impacted by economic, environmental and social oppression. She sits on the board of Allied Media Project and Wiretap Magazine, and facilitates the development of many organizations (most recently ColorofChange.org and Detroit Summer). A co-founder of the League of Young Voters and graduate of the Art of Leadership and Art of Change trainings, Adrienne is obsessed with learning and developing models for action, community strength and movement building.
Samhita Mukhopadhyay, 28, is an editor of Feministing.com. She is currently working on her MA from San Francisco State University in Women's Studies. A graduate of SUNY Albany's Women's Studies/Sociology programs, Samhita's passions are trans-national feminisms, theories of knowledge production, electronic music and fashion. She lives in the Mission District of San Francisco and is a self-identified world class party girl.
Twilight Greenaway, 30, was the editor of WireTap from 2000-2005. At present, she works on promoting viewer-created content by young people for Current TV.
Don Hazen is founder of WireTap, executive director of the Independent Media Institute and executive editor of AlterNet. The former publisher of Mother Jones magazine, he has edited several books, including, most recently, Start Making Sense: Turning the Lessons of Election 2004 into Winning Progressive Politics. Don conceived of and organized the two Media & Democracy Congresses that took place in San Francisco and New York City in 1997 and 1998, and has managed political campaigns in New York City for Ruth Messinger and David Dinkins. He holds an MA in counseling from the University of Massachusetts and a BA in politics from Princeton University.
Gavin Leonard, 26, serves as director of Elementz: The Hip-Hop Youth Arts Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. He is a board member of the League of Young Voters and LYV Education Fund, and is on the advisory committees of Wiretap and the All-Ages Movement Project. He believes that building power to make change starts with strong community-based relationships.
Dani McClain, 28, is a journalist from Cincinnati, Ohio. In addition to serving on WireTap's Advisory Board, Dani also frequently contributes to the site. Her reporting has appeared most recently in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and The Miami Herald. In addition to freelancing for independent newspapers and alternative weeklies, Dani has taught high school social studies and developed communications campaigns at Drug Policy Alliance and with the League of Pissed-Off Voters. She is a graduate of Columbia's School of Journalism and a former assistant editor at PopandPolitics.com.
Rashid Shabazz has over ten years of community-based organizing and communications experience, ranging from electoral politics to issues including prison and criminal justice reform, education, and the environment. He has also been a contributing writer for several publications including The Source and Trace magazines. Rashid is currently a 2006 New York University Social Justice Fellow working with local community groups in New York City on a public awareness campaign for progressive education reform. As a West African Research Association (WARA) Fellow, he conducted a media and youth research project in Ghana, West Africa. He holds a B.A. in English from George Mason University, an M.A. in African studies from Yale University and an M.S. in magazine writing from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.