We mourn the passing of Janie Washington, a pioneer in the field of communication, community communication, community media and entertainment, and a keen and effective player in the formative years of Black and Caribbean radio in New York City.
During the days of Inner City Broadcasting, WBLS and WLIB, Janie Washington, was a key player among the giants in that organization; Percy Sutton, president, CEO Al Jackson, Vice Chairman, there was David Lampel, program director and of course Pepe Sutton, president and so many legendary media personalities.
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But there was Janie Washington in the sitting with these powerful men, at a time when not many women had the opportunity, she played a role in communication media that was critical to both the black and the Caribbean community.
It was in those formative years when one needed the guts determination and the vision to see how one could serve a community and how one, through persistence and determination can make a difference. And Janie Washington made that difference in so many ways. We at Carib News collaborated with Janie many times.
Janie Washington, WBLS and WLIB collaboration that goes beyond just the music and entertainment, but collaboration around issues of hurricane relief and how do we mobilize a community to respond, addressing issues of violence in our community and how do we keep people aware.
Janie provided online full-day coverage for the Caribbean Multinational Business Conference that was organized throughout the conference, throughout the Caribbean region. She was present at many of those conferences, and also part of the effort that was organized around the telethon to raise funds for Jamaica House.
Her passing will be felt deeply in the community, but her contribution to community media, community entertainment lives on, what we see now and take for granted, it took hard work and visionaries like Janie Washington to bring this about and her legacy and memory should be held high in our community and around the country and internationally.
Even outside of the gambit of radio, Janie reached out to several in the community, including Carib News, to do special projects, special activities, and always a resourceful person. Looking for the next level of possibilities for our community. She will be sorely missed, but as we said, her legacy continues and her daughters can feel proud of her, their mother’s accomplishments.
Janie Washington can rest well because she has done so much and was so busy making things happen for others and the community. May she Rest in Peace.
