About Us
The United Church of Christ is a faith community rooted in justice that recognizes the unique power of the media to shape public understanding and thus society. The mission of the UCC’s Office of Communication, Inc. (OC, Inc.) is to create just and equitable media structures that give meaningful voice to diverse peoples, cultures and ideas.
OC Inc. is the media justice arm of the United Church of Christ. Founded in 1959, only two years after the formation of the UCC, the Reverend Dr. Everett C. Parker was prompted by the Reverend Martin Luther King to set out to reform television stations in the south, which were doing a poor job of covering the Civil Rights Movement.
After undertaking a dangerous strategy to challenge the institutions of racism in the era, and many years of litigation before the Federal Communications Commission and in the federal courts, OC Inc. achieved seminal success. It not only forced the FCC to take away the broadcast license of WLBT-TV in Jackson, Miss., but it also established the legal right of all citizens to participate in FCC proceedings. The case continues today to protect citizen rights in the field of media advocacy. Building upon its successes in the early 1960s, OC Inc. continues to be a leader in media reform by pushing for a more just, accessible, diverse and accountable media. It works to promote public interests in the media, especially for people of color, women and children.
See the full documentary on our History page.
Contact
General Contact
Email: info [at] uccmediajustice.org
Contact Policy Advisor Cheryl A. Leanza
Email: cleanza [at] alhmail.com
Office Phone: 202-904-2168
Recent Blog Posts
Letter to the Congressional Oversight Committee
March 16, 2015 Rep. Jason Chaffetz Chair of the House Oversight & Gov’t Reform 2157 Rayburn HOB Washington, DC 20515 Rep. Elijah Cummings Ranking Member of theHouse Oversight & Gov’t Reform 2157 Rayburn HOB Washington, DC 20515 Dear Chairman Chaffetz and Ranking Member Cummings: As racial justice and civil rights organizations, we write to express our […]
As Jail Visits Go High-Tech, Isolation Grows
The following is an excerpt from NBC News. Twice a week, Ashika Coleman-Carter drives out to the Travis County Correctional Complex, in Texas, to visit her husband. But when she sits down to say hello, she doesn’t look at him through the traditional shatter-proof glass. Instead, she sees Keith’s face on a video screen. “It […]
Balancing the Harms and Benefits of Electronic Prisoner Communication
The following is an excerpt from Equal Future. In South Carolina, inmates face up to two years in solitary confinement for making just one post to Facebook. It’s one stark frontier in an ongoing battle over the pros and cons of cell phone and internet access in prisons. Many inmates are prohibited from using cell […]
Hundreds of South Carolina Inmates Sent to Solitary Confinement Over Facebook
The following is an except from EFF’s Deeplinks Blog. In the South Carolina prison system, accessing Facebook is an offense on par with murder, rape, rioting, escape and hostage-taking. Back in 2012, the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) made “Creating and/or Assisting With A Social Networking Site” a Level 1 offense [PDF], a category […]