Changing the Storytellers. Changing the Story. - Message from YR Media CEO Kyra Kyles
There is no question that this is a period of deep reflection for this country. Who are we really? And much more importantly, who do we ultimately want to be?
It couldn’t be a place with inequity baked into every system, from housing to banking to education to immigration to healthcare. It couldn’t be a place where Black citizens die at the hands of police or self-appointed vigilantes. It couldn’t be where willful misinformation builds into a wave of physical violence against Asian Americans or where we separate immigrating families forever for simply striving for a better life in the “land of liberty.” It couldn’t be where children are ostracized and even outlawed for not identifying with arbitrary gender lines or where those who cannot win votes from communities of color simply revoke voting rights altogether.
Still reeling from an unprecedented pandemic that isolates us and battle weary from endless assaults on our civil liberties from the past presidential administration, it can be paralyzing to think about as we try to come up with ways to help this country reach the potential boasted about in ballads and immortalized in anthems.
At YR Media, our answer to changing the world around us is to tell our stories, the stories of the underrepresented, undercounted, and underestimated. The majority of our YR stars are Black, Asian American, and Latinx with increasing representation from indigenous populations. They are predominantly female, with a rising number of nonbinary individuals. Some are new to the United States and due to cruel laws and policies, struggling to retain a foothold in a country ironically “founded” by immigrants. They are young during a time when too many equate youth with recklessness, indifference or worse. They are the digital natives that we are so worried about due to”fake news” on Instagram or TikTok, meanwhile Baby Boomers were seduced by overt misinformation campaigns on Facebook.
Despite any effort to silence them, these 14 to 24 year-olds I’ve proudly dubbed YR stars will not accept censorship. They are weary of the narratives developed about them, their age group and their communities by newsrooms, record labels and technology companies who do not know their lives. To that end, and for the last 30 years, YR Media has “passed the mic” to elevate perspective, talent and ultimately leaders who do not take “no” for an answer. They will not report on societal inequities by describing white folks as “finding”, while Black folks are “looting.” They will not prioritize the sanctity of buildings over the Black bodies reduced to hashtags. They will not flood your timelines with the trauma porn of individuals of color being murdered by cops or overzealous bigots so that you can believe racism exists. They will not devalue aspiring citizens. They will not produce music for mere social capital and fame, while non-POCs benefit financially in the backroom. They won’t develop interactives that don’t take into account the deeper hue of the human complexion, nor will they create surveillance that oppresses already suppressed groups of people. They will lead, and we should all look forward to being led by them. They demonstrate remarkable resilience and power, even amid a uniquely challenging time in this country’s history. I’ve witnessed it personally, ever since the day two years ago, I joined this organization as CEO.
Kyra Kyles, YR Media CEO, photo by Zach Bruce
I moved here to Oakland from Chicago on Feb. 1, 2020, not too long before COVID-19 ravaged the nation, particularly and disproportionately affecting communities of color. In fact, I had been in the office for about six weeks before shelter-in-place closed our physical doors. Yet, thanks to the incredible team I work with and their collective care for the young people we collaborate with, not one day of programming was lost. Our Media Education and Technology teams worked together to devise remote learning protocols and delivered equipment to ensure no young person would be left out of opportunities. We launched a mobile pantry and grocery store gift card initiative to continue the healthy food promise within our mission. We strengthened our existing social emotional wellbeing services by adding more robust case management and mental health therapy capacity. We were even able to expand our mental health therapy supports to more young people, including within our network of national contributors.
We continued to deepen our impact in all corners of the United States, launching a virtual Midwest hub in Chicago. This provided more on-the-ground support, resources and mentorship for 20 new correspondents from areas including Illinois, Idaho and Indiana. We also continued the award-winning momentum of our growing documentary efforts, set in motion by our founder with our flagship effort, Unadopted, co-produced by a YR youth employee named Noel Anaya who spent his entire childhood and teens within a broken foster care system. Within the last year, we secured an additional licensing agreement with GOOD DOCS and won a prestigious national Edward R. Murrow Award. We launched new collaborations with national partners, including Medium and The Washington Post, the latter engaging not only our young journalists but music producers and developers to produce a timely and much-needed limited podcast series on race and identity in America.
With so much in flux in this country, YR Media remains a steadfast and consistent force, not only a platform but a workplace for youth who are compensated for their work. We will continue that work, increasing it more and more, as we push forward through 2022 and beyond. We cannot let up because we know the potent power of storytellers. We know the impact of changing the narrative, as do our partners and supporters. Despite this unprecedented and ongoing pandemic, our revenue stream has been stronger than ever. By the end of my first year in 2020, we surpassed our revenue goals by 17% and in 2021, closed our books at 37% over our target. In fact in June of 2021, we attracted the largest unsolicited and unrestricted gift in our history with $2.5M from MacKenzie Scott and Dan Jewett Foundation as part of their effort to support leaders of color who are elevating individuals in communities of color. The clear commitment to our mission from so many of our supporters and partners moves and inspires us.
Together, with our emerging leaders at the helm, we will not only disrupt the mainstream narrative, we’ll rewrite it. We can be the authors of a new America, one not so fixated on stars and stripes but on social equity. I hope you’ll continue to support us and our YR stars along that journey.
Kyra Kyles
CEO, YR Media