After the University’s efforts to quell the student voices of Nineteen Fifty-Six, over 400 donors stepped up to express their outrage and creative expression. This month, Sixty-Three, an independent continuation of Nineteen Fifty-Six giving voice to students of color, launched its first edition, “Good News.”
Despite the adversity student voices have faced in an academic atmosphere becoming increasingly hostile to marginalized voices, this magazine is a powerful exemplification of community, positivity and creativity that brings only light to The University of Alabama’s campus.
The magazine begins with the powerful line, “We cannot be silenced.” The first story extends both the explicit acknowledgement of Nineteen Fifty-Six’s silencing as well as hope and community. Founder of Nineteen Fifty-Six, Tionna Taite, speaks about her experience launching the magazine and the original goal.
“I felt the university should fund the magazine because I felt like it would help rectify the years of discrimination and injustices that the university took part in,” Tate is quoted saying.
As explored by the magazine, it is clear that these magazines are not just expressions of the present, they are hope for future writers and preservation of students of color and their experiences at the Capstone.
Every story emphasizes this narrative that the magazines are for fostering and preserving community. The story “Joyful Noise” by Karsten Malik Erskine explores what it means to create as a student of color, cementing the importance of the defiance this magazine represents.
“Joyful Noise” also uses creative language and imagery to connect readers with its inspiring content. Lines like “inject black DNA” display creativity as quintessential to Black student representation in films, music and art.
The magazine quotes Marcus Steele, a musician and producer majoring in management information systems at the University.
“The significance of the art lies in its effects on others,” he wrote.
Such a simple line is yet another touching use of language that extends the theme of this magazine: community and the importance of expression. Outside of concept pieces, the features in the magazine bring unique perspectives to the unified “Good News” message.
The pull quote in the Afro-American Gospel Choir story emphasizes this sentiment: “Once I realized that it was much deeper than music and that they care about the outreach and how they affect the student body, I thought, ‘Oh, this is special,” Avionne Steele said.
Good Days finishes out the magazine by showing the joy on campus amidst the events of a difficult year. It displays the community as thriving despite the University’s attempts to quell their voices and then rising above to show who they are as people.
Outside of the writing, the artistry behind the spreads, graphics and photography exemplify the creative skill and passion put into this magazine.
“Joyful Noise,” written by Karsten Malik Erkine, with graphics by Lyric Talley and photos by Grant Sturdivant, displays an artist on a popping background surrounded by floating sheet music and music notes. The spread singlehandedly showcased the creative efforts, graphics and photography in one fell swoop.
The graphics throughout the magazine are used to supplement beautiful photography without overstepping, but when they get their moment, it shines. The black and white bowl of sketched food in the Yamz story, written by Rihanna Pointer with illustrations by Lyric Talley, makes the food seem mythical and emotional, just like the argument of the story: food as nostalgia. There are no photos in this story. The lack of photos emphasizes the food not as an entity but as emotion itself.
The standalone photography even goes along with the community aspect. The page “Strength in Numbers” featured students from 12 student organizations on the steps of Gorgas Library. While the groups may be divided in name, they are brought together through this magazine.
Sixty-Three brings nothing but joy, defiance and community into its first edition, showing how expression can be mobilized as a vehicle for productive protest and spreading joy, no matter how bleak the political atmosphere of student media may seem.
Editor-in-Chief Kendal Wright’s hope in the editor’s note rings true. This magazine truly does “spread joy to anyone who’s been waiting to hear some good news.”
