Get Herald RSSDefunct since 2005, the African Sun will be published once again this fall as its staff looks to reestablish the journal in the Brown community and spread it to other campuses as well.
The Sun, a publication that, according to its mission statement, provides a voice "for and about the black community at Brown University," stopped printing after April 2005 because "there wasn't a direct transfer of leadership," said Cristina Rodrigues '10, who is spearheading the comeback effort along with Megan Smith '10. "Once (a publication) has fallen, it is easier for it to stay defunct," Rodrigues said.
Much of the Sun's mission today is the same as it was in 2005, Rodrigues said, in terms of "creating a forum for alternative perspectives on mainstream news, while making room for specifically black issues." The Sun also hopes to connect black students with black alums while educating the Brown community at large about the black community on campus, she said.
Rodrigues said a publication like the Sun is important because of its function as a historical record for the University's black community. "Each generation isn't starting on a blank state," she said.
Smith and Rodrigues plan to alter the format of the publication, starting with the first issue in December. "It (used to be) more creative writing and poetry. This will be more of a newspaper that includes poetry" and emphasizes alternate perspectives on mainstream media, Smith said.
Smith expressed interest in an intercollegiate editorial board for the Sun. She and Rodrigues have spoken to students at Johnson and Wales University and Rhode Island College, and this is the first year of participation from students at the Rhode Island School of Design, Smith said.
"We don't just want submissions from other schools, we want them to be on the staff as well," Rodrigues said.
Philip Glenn, a RISD student who is a member of the Sun's staff, said he is excited to have a publication that caters to his school's black community.
"I just know that my experience has been very different from (that of) a white or Asian student," Glenn said. "Black students will be excited to know that they are being appreciated and noticed."
"We've had a black student union type of group, but never a publication," Glenn added. He said the current political atmosphere is inspiring students to create groups to assert themselves as active members of the community, citing issues such as the "Jena Six" in Louisiana and immigration as motivation for student action.
Glenn said the Sun's main challenge is raising RISD student curiosity, since only a few professors remember the publication from five years ago and no students have heard of it. He said he hopes RISD students will contribute poetry, articles, artwork and interviews with RISD professors to the Sun.
In 2005, the Sun was a Category III group, meaning it received a budget from the Undergraduate Finance Board, but now it has to start over as a Category I group. "There has always been a struggle to get adequate funding from the University," said Rodrigues, since the Sun caters to a smaller community within Brown. Rodrigues said the Sun has always done its own fundraising to supplement the money it is awarded through its classification by the Undergraduate Council of Students. The Sun currently receives no funding from RISD.
Rodrigues said the Sun's long term goal is to be financially independent.
The Sun's staff has plans to use the publication for jump-starting other groups and events. Rodrigues and Smith plan to organize an open mic night and a release party. At RISD, Glenn is planning to submit architectural reviews to the Sun, in hopes of starting a chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects.
"There is a lot of support from the black community," Rodrigues said.
Submissions for the December issue of the Sun are due Nov. 1.
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