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AROUND SUNDOWN X CRYIN SYRIN
DERRICK THOMAS AND A’NESHIA TURNER
2

LETTER FROM
THE EDITORS
This collaboration between Nineteen
Fifty-Six Magazine and The Crimson
White is significant for many reasons.
It allows us to pool our resources
together to tell nuanced, deep and
needed stories about diversity and
equity on campus. It enables us to
shine a spotlight on issues that are
often swept under the rug. It gives us
the chance to celebrate the students
who have been doing the work this
whole time. And, in many ways, it’s a
step toward bridging the gap within
our own newsrooms. The Crimson
White is the oldest publication at
the University of Alabama. Whereas,
Nineteen Fifty-Six is the newest
publication at the University. In its 126
years on campus, The CW has had only
two Black editors, and its coverage
has long ignored or misrepresented
students of color. This edition is one
step toward correcting the record.
The merging of these two publications
in this special edition signifies the
progress that the University has
made. While more work must be done,
efforts made by UA student leaders
have proven to be impactful over
the years. We believe actions directly
undertaken by students, without
influence from UA faculty and staff,
are the things that leave a lasting
impression on the University. For
this reason, we’re pleased to present
the Nineteen Fifty-Six and Crimson
White collaboration. Beautiful things
happen when we come together,
and we are certain that this special
edition will educate and inspire a
diverse audience.
X
TIONNA TAITE
REBECCA GRIESBACH
3

CW EDITORIAL STAFF
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
MANAGING EDITOR
ENGAGEMENT EDITOR
CHIEF COPY EDITOR
OPINIONS EDITOR
CHIEF GRAPHICS EDITOR
CHIEF PAGE EDITOR
NEWS EDITOR
ASSISTANT NEWS AND ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR
CULTURE EDITOR
ASSISTANT CULTURE EDITOR
SPORTS EDITOR
PHOTO EDITOR
VIDEO EDITOR
REBECCA GRIESBACH
LEAH GOGGINS
ADAYA JACKSON
BHAVANA RAVALA
MIKAYLA WYATT
TOMIA TEAGUE
GARRETT KENNEDY
REID BOLLING
KEELY BREWER
HONORINE NTOH YUH
JEFFREY KELLY
ALEXANDER PLANT
HANNAH SAAD
ALEX MILLER
1956 EDITORIAL STAFF
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
MANAGING EDITOR
VISUALS EDITOR
ASSISTANT VISUALS EDITOR
PHOTO EDITOR
ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR
CULTURE AND LIFESTYLE EDITOR
ASSISTANT CULTURE AND LIFESTYLE EDITOR
FEATURES AND EXPERIENCES EDITOR
ASSISTANT FEATURES AND EXPERIENCES EDITOR
ENGAGEMENT EDITOR
ASSISTANT ENGAGEMENT EDITOR
FACULTY ADVISOR
ASSISTANT ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
DIGITAL MEDIA MANAGER
TIONNA TAITE
BHAVANA RHAVALA
A’NESHIA TURNER
ASHTON JAH
ZAHREA SMALL
ALEXIS BLUE
FARRAH SANDERS
REENA MILLER
HALEY WILSON
SALA BANDELE-JACKSON
NICKELL GRANT
TAYLOR GARNER
MONIQUE FIELDS
JULIE SALTER
TERRY SIGGERS
CONTRIBUTORS
PEARL LANGLEY, CLIFF ENLERS, CAMILLE BLACK, NOEL KEENEY, ASHLEE
WOODS, KELBY HUTCHISON, DERRICK THOMAS, JAVON WILLIAMS, TARA
DAVENPORT, AUTUMN FULLER, CONNOR TODD, TUCKER LEGERSKI, ELISSA
NATION, EMILY EARLE, RACHEL PARKER, ASHLEE WOODS, KENYA HARRIS,
JAVON WILLIAMS, JOSEPH KING, DONOVAN HARRIS, AMANDA PORTER,
MADISON CARMOUCHE, BRYLANE HAY, VU LE
4

CONTENTS
6
DIVERSITY BY THE
NUMBERS
8
THE FINAL BARRIER
STILL NOT
DEMOLISHED
SOMETIMES IT’S
LIKE WE’RE NOT
THERE
A NAMECHANGER
10
G S A
ADMINISTRATION
PUSHES FOR
COMMUNITY
INCLUSION
A DEEPER LOOK AT
DIVERSITY
12
OPEN ARMS
PURPOSE BEYOND
PRINT
14
FROM THE
TRENCHES
5

NOEL KENNEDY
DIVERSITY BY THE
NUMBERS
​In a nation that is 60.6% white and
39.4% non-white, a state that is
65.5% white and 34.5% non-white,
and a city that is 49.3% white and
50.7% non-white, the University
doesn’t mirror the service area and
population it serves on both sides
of the classroom. White students
in 2018 made up more than
three-fourths of the University’s
population, and a slightly higher
percentage of white students were
awarded degrees that same year.
With nearly 80% of the tenured
instructional staff identifying as
white, the disparity is evident.
While there have been marked
improvements in representation
on campus within the last seven
years, the University still has a
long way to go.
6

CW / Brylane Hay
7

JOSEPH KING & JAVON WILLIAMS
‘Sometimes it’s like we’re not there’
Black students reflect on exclusion in Greek community
The University of Alabama has
one of the largest sorority and
fraternity communities in the
United States. But despite Greek
life being a cornerstone of campus
life, disparities between traditional
white Greek organizations and
Black ones are stark. For many
Black students, attempts from
administration to bridge these
gaps have come off as performative.
According to the University of
Alabama’s Division of Student Life,
the University’s Greek community
makes up over 35% percent of
undergraduates enrolled. The
Greek community at the University
of Alabama is composed of four
councils: The Alabama Panhellenic
Association (APA), the Alabama
Interfraternity Council (AFC), the
Alabama National Pan-Hellenic
Council (NPHC), and Alabama
United Greek Council (UGC).
Currently, there are 40 Greek
homes at the University of Alabama
and out of that 40, only two homes
house a traditional Black Greekletter
organization.
One of those homes is Alpha
Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Joshua
Gill is currently the second vice
president of the Kappa Alpha
chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha. He said
the University has
done little to
bring Black organizations together
with white ones. Gill believes UA
should try to plan more mandatory
events – rather than voluntary
“DEI” programming – to actually
help mend this gap.
I don’t think they’re
aware of these gaps
when they get here. It’s
just something that’s
not talked about.
“You can’t force people to get
together or force people to
bond,” Gill said. “But I think if
you were truly for that diversity
and inclusion, then certain
things would be mandatory
to be a partnership.”
Brea James, a senior member of
the Theta Sigma chapter of Alpha
Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., believes
the University can do more to
support organizations like hers.
“I feel like it’s not really a big
issue seen on campus,” James said.
“I ask people from out of state
why did they come to UA, and it’s
always football and
Greek life. I don’t think they’re
aware of these gaps when they get
here. It’s just something that’s
not talked about.”
James recently made a presentation
on the difficulties of being the
only Black Greek home on sorority
row. In her PowerPoint, James
discussed the obstacles and racism
her chapter had to go through to
get their house in January of 1986.
It was reported by The Crimson
White and The Associated Press
on March 29, 1986, that a wooden
cross was burned on the front
lawn of where the house is today.
Two people were seen at the site
by security and were questioned
before being released.
Cierra Murray, another member
of the Theta Sigma chapter,
believes many problems that
her chapter has faced have
been seen as insignificant.
“One time someone came banging
on our door late at night,” Murray
said. “One of our sisters was
here and she was scared, and
she called campus police. The
police were trying to gaslight
the situation saying it’s probably
a prank. We asked the police to
look at the camera and they said
no. The person was banging on
the door saying, ‘We see you b----,
open the door.’”
James and Murray said
they’ve experienced several
microaggressions within the
Greek community that have
made them feel excluded. They
both mentioned times that white
members in the Greek community
asked questions like, “Why are you
guys’ house so small?” or “Are you
all a scrapbooking club?”
8

James was able to recall two times
she felt left out on campus. In 2018
the advertising department of the
school’s newspaper, The Crimson
White, made a graphic insert of
all the houses on sorority row. The
graphic included the sorority’s
name, the date the house was
founded and the house’s nickname.
The only sorority not mentioned in
the graphic was Theta Sigma and
ironically, the graphic was in pink
and green which are the official
colors of Alpha Kappa Alpha.
The other situation was by way
of a TikTok posted by a member
of a white fraternity. In the video,
members wished sorority sisters
goodnight, but left out Alpha
Kappa Alpha.
“It’s not like we’re crying about it,
but it just shows you how other
people, other students view us,”
James said. “Sometimes it’s like
we’re not there.”
According to an article written
by Alecia Sherard in a 1986 issue
of The Crimson White, a memo
by Chi Omega’s president, Betsy
Griffin, was sent to six sororities
to examine how Theta Sigma
receiving a house would “disrupt
the lives of the members of these
sororities.” Fast forward 34 years
later and there’s hope for Theta
Sigma and Chi Omega to mend
their relationship.
That member’s name is Caitlyn
McTier. In 2016, McTier joined Chi
Omega with hopes of diversifying
the Panhellenic Association at the
University of Alabama.
“I have always been someone that
has been up to a challenge and
that I never really saw being in
white Greek life as something
that I can be complacent in, but I
saw the opportunity to break up
a really white space and to really
help diversify people that have
never really been put outside their
comfort zone” McTier said.
While McTier came from a family of
Divine Nine members, she wanted
to break barriers and make a
statement for the Black community
at Alabama. Although McTier feels
included within her sorority, she
still gets backlash.
“I felt like there were so many
negative things that I got from the
Black community – even my mom
and my family,” McTier said. “Of
course they were proud of me and
my decision, but I come from
a family of Deltas, and
they wanted
me to
continue that legacy.”
Even though her decision felt
right, McTier had to deal with
many obstacles not only from white
people but also from Black peers
questioning her “Blackness.”
“It took until the end of my
sophomore year and junior year
to prove to them that I was Black
enough,” she said. “I think it
was hard to have so many Black
people question if I was cultured
enough or if I knew the struggles
of Black people.”
McTier is now a senior and is
proud to be a part of Chi Omega.
She hopes that she left her mark
at The Capstone.
“I’ve had to make sacrifices for
the greater good,” she said. “And
even if people haven’t respected
that route, I know that I did
the right thing.”
James stated how a Black member
of Chi Omega has recently reached
out to her with intent to better
the two sororities’ rapport. James
believes the member of Chi Omega
being a Black woman played a
part in her willingness to issue an
apology on behalf of her sorority
and celebrate the accomplishments
of the house next door.
CW / Hannah Saad
9

The Final Barrier Still Not De
Seven years after the Alabama
Panhellenic Association (APA)
faced pressure to integrate after
not allowing Black women into
their sororities, little diversity
still exists in its chapters.
The APA released a statement on
May 31 in response to the police
killing of George Floyd and quoted
Martin Luther King, Jr. in saying,
“Injustice anywhere is a threat
to justice everywhere.” They also
stated the council is, “resolved to
hold one another accountable and
use our personal, organizational
resources and platforms for
positive change.”
In fall 2019, the University boasted
more than 38,000 students, a tenth
of whom identified as Black or
African American, while threequarters
of the student population
identified as white.
Whether these figures are
compared to the national average
or the state average, these statistics
show an underrepresentation of
Black people at the University.
According to the U.S. Census data,
the state of Alabama’s population
is 27% Black or African American
and 69% white. By contrast, the
nation’s population is 13% Black or
African American and 76% white.
The University of Alabama saw a
0.5% increase in Black and African
American student enrollment
between 2018 and 2019. If this
trend continued, the University
would match the national average
by 2026 and reach the state
average by 2052.
The University of
Alabama saw a 0.5%
increase in Black and
African American
student enrollment
between 2018
and 2019.
Roughly one-third of the
University’s student body belongs
to a Greek organization, the
majority of which are white.
Last year, about 1.2%, or 88, of the
APA’s members identified as Black
or African American, while 90% of
the organization was white.
The claim on the official website
about sisterhood, philanthropy and
social engagement being a main
focus of the APA seemed doubtful
to one recent Black female graduate
who wishes to remain anonymous
for her safety.
“The PHC is allowed to get away
with its lack of diversity because
no one is forcing them to correct
their ways,” she said.
The anonymous source said she
had only met one person in an “old
row” sorority who wasn’t white,
and she said she was only there to
meet the diversity quota.
“The University will always lack
proper diversity,” she said. “Look
at its history that [administration]
refuses to speak about. The PHC
is part of that racist history that
carries on today.”
G. Christine Taylor, vice president
and associate provost for diversity,
equity and inclusion, said she does
not agree with diversity quotas. To
her, the issue runs deeper.
“I don’t know that the goal should
necessarily be that if we have X
number of women on campus we
ought to have X number in those
houses,” Taylor said. She said she
would rather ask, “‘Do women have a
choice and is their choice impacted
by their race or ethnicity?’”
10

molished
KELBY
HUTCHISON
Taylor said that it is the University’s
goal to increase the representation
of diverse students on campus, but
she can not predict percentages
because of “various factors.” She
declined to comment on whether
Black women seek out other Greek
systems because of the APA’s lack
of representation.
The UA Division of Diversity,
Equity and Inclusion has instituted
1,695 active diversity efforts in
the last five years. The division’s
website claims there are more
than 1,000 diversity-related classes
offered at the University.
According to aggregated data from
the University, there are currently
88 Black women in APA sororities.
Spread across APA’s 19 affiliated
organizations, each house would
average 4.6 African American
members. The UA Division
of Strategic Communications
refused to provide statistics
for demographics of each
APA sorority, citing FERPA in
response to The Crimson White’s
open records request.
HISTORY OF
INCIDENTS
In 2013, the APA was called out
for racist practices for barring
the membership of two Black
women who exceeded the values
and requirements of the sororities
they rushed. Following those
revelations, the recruitment
process was extended and 14
minority women were invited to
join sororities. Overall, 10 Black
women were accepted that year.
The anonymous source
said she had only met
one person in an “old
row” sorority who
wasn’t white, and she
said she was only
there to meet the
diversity quota.
Four years later, Harley Barber was
accepted to Alpha Phi. In January
2018, videos of Barber’s racist rants
day went viral on Martin Luther
King Jr. Day, which led to her
expulsion from the sorority and
her departure from the University.
In one video Barber said, “I love
how I act like I love black people
because I f---ing hate [N-word].”
In 2015, Alpha Phi was called out by
USA Today for a recruitment video
that showed almost exclusively
white women with blonde hair. In
these videos, blonde women wore
bikinis and Daisy Duke shorts
and were criticized by an AL.com
writer for being “racially and
aesthetically homogeneous.”
The prioritizing of legacies in
Greek life poses another challenge.
Legacies are new recruits who
have special consideration over
others due to a member of their
family being a member of the
organization in the past.
Black students were not admitted
to the University until 1956, and
APA sororities are documented
as denying potential members
based on race as recently as 2013.
Overvaluing legacy candidates
gives the white relatives of past
members an unfair advantage
over non-white students seeking
membership in the organization.
“These groups aren’t meant for
diversity and I don’t expect them
to be,” the anonymous alumna said.
“But I do expect them to be held
accountable when they’re saying
racist things on Snapchat and
finsta [a secret Instagram account]
and get to prance around the
campus with no repercussions.”
11

ADAYA JACKSON & NICKELL GRANT
A NAME CHANGER
Since the summer of 2020, three
buildings with racist namesakes
have been renamed: Nott Hall,
Morgan Hall and Manly Hall. But
despite surveys and suggestions
from students and faculty for
replacement names, the Board
of Trustees has implemented
placeholders for the time being.
The Crimson White and Nineteen
Fifty-Six Magazine polled more
than 300 students on whether they
felt the placeholder names were
adequate. More than 75% of them
said no.
Many students said that the campus
buildings formerly known as Manly
and Morgan Hall should be named
after enslaved African Americans
or those who have historically
made their mark in Alabama.
Since the Board of Trustees has
implemented placeholder names,
students and alumni have given
more suggestions for permanent
names. Here are a few of them:
12
CW / Leah Goggins

HARPER LEE HALL
AUTHERINE LUCY HALL
LUNA HALL
MAYA ANGELOU HALL
RUBY BRIDGES HALL
VIVIAN MALONE HALL
DR. TIMOTHY LEARY HALL
JAMES HOOD HALL
CLEO THOMAS HALL
ZORA NEALE HURSTON HALL
MARGARET ATWOOD HALL
E.O. WILSON HALL
CW / Leah Goggins
13

14
Connor Todd & Tucker Legerski
GSA ADMINISTRATION PUSHES FOR
COMMUNITY, INCLUSION
The University of Alabama is home to
more than 5,000 graduate students
who are fixtures in campus research
labs and classrooms alike. Some of these
students feel they lack representation
and community on campus.
“There isn’t an arm of the University–
academia, administration, staffing–
that graduate students aren’t a part
of,” said Quin Kelly, a second-year
graduate student pursuing his masters
in public health. “It doesn’t equate that
grad students don’t have the same kind
of student life on campus.”
Kelly is the president of the University’s
Graduate Student Association (GSA),
an organization that represents and
advocates on the behalf of graduate
students. But when he started his
program at The University of Alabama,
he wasn’t aware the Graduate
Student Association existed. He
later learned about it from graduate
school staff and students.
CW / Hannah Saad
“That was red flag No. 1,” Kelly
said. “I felt that if I didn’t know
about GSA, there were probably
countless other graduate students
who didn’t know about it.”
With prior student government
experience during his years as an
undergraduate student at Stillman
College, Kelly felt he “couldn’t be an
idle participant in graduate student
needs not being met.”
Initially, he was reluctant to throw his
hat into the ring for GSA president,
afraid that he would be unable to make
a substantive difference within GSA.
But that fear didn’t stop him from
running and being elected.
Since he and the rest of the GSA
executive board, including Vice
President Jennifer Baggett, Vice
President of Communications
Genoah Collins and Vice President
of Student Engagement Elizabeth
MacNeil took office this spring, their
primary goal has been addressing
the lack of graduate student
representation and community.
BUILDING COMMUNITY
“What we first noticed when we got
into office was that the graduate
student population on campus is
scattered,” Kelly said. “It’s hard to
represent a collective body if there is
not a community aspect of it.”
The executive board began to work
on building that community, but
found that doing that during a
pandemic was difficult. Both GSA
and the Graduate School itself
made the decision to host onlineonly
events this semester.
GSA had to forego its traditional
events, such as the graduate
student orientation, tailgating
and town halls, and replace them
with virtual-friendly programming,
such as trivia nights and the Tide
Together Graduate Mentor program.
This program pairs new graduate
students with faculty and peer
mentors to help them navigate their
higher education experience.
Kelly said despite social distancing
guidelines taking away the physical
aspect of community-building, the
decision to host online-only events
allowed GSA to access a wider range of
students than they have before.
“The silver lining is that everyone
can be included if we are online, at
this point,” Kelly said. “On our quest
to be inclusive on every level, this
has been a good thing.”
The emphasis on online fellowship
especially helped the GSA connect
with those who participated in
UA’s Bama By Distance program, a
program that allows students to earn
a baccalaureate, masters or doctorate
through primarily online learning.
Due to its online component and
cost of tuition, Bama By Distance
is an appealing program to nontraditional
students seeking graduate
and postgraduate learning, such
as those who are enlisted in the
military or have children.
For Amy Nichols, a Tuscaloosa resident
who is a wife and mother of two,
Bama By Distance was her preferred
route to getting her masters in
communications studies and now her
doctorate in education.
However, no matter how prepared she
was to take her “education and career
to the next level,” initially, Nichols was
hesitant to continue her education
because she feared school would take
time away from her family.

“As a woman with traditional gender
roles, I was concerned that pursuing
a doctorate would be incapacitating
me as a wife and mom,” Nichols
said. “Because it’s a totally different
basket of challenges.”
Nichols noted that for graduate
students like her, who are not just
students but parents too, some of these
extra challenges center on balance.
“The thing to remember is [that] I
can have a family, a rewarding and
enriching marriage, motherhood,
career and doctoral degree. I can have
all of those things,” she said. “In fact,
I can have all of those things at the
same time maybe, but I have to choose
what’s going to not be on my plate in
order to pursue all of those things.”
GSA recognizes the role balance
plays in the lives of grad students and
seeks to leverage resources to help
them as much as possible.
Nichols said GSA has connected her
with other graduate students while
also providing tailored support. She
mentioned programs like Sitters
for Service, a babysitting program
for graduate students with children
that was temporarily closed due to
COVID-19. Kelly said programs like
this were important because “aside
from academically, we want the whole
person to be successful.”
DEFINING COMMUNITY
Kelly said when trying to foster success
for graduate students, it’s important
to acknowledge that the graduate
student body looks remarkably
different from the undergraduate
student demographic, and so do its
needs.
According to college enrollment
and student demographic statistics
compiled by EducationData, 18.7%
of graduate men and women are
single parents, 5.8% are married
and 4.9% work full-time.
While finding a home-work balance
can be daunting, the sheer depth of
financial constraints on graduate
students can’t be overstated.
“We aren’t just students in the everyday
capacity,” Kelly said. “We are part of the
core of the University as instructors,
we are in the classroom also delivering
knowledge and we are the main engine
for research on campus.”
Graduate students often rely on
teaching or research assistantships
to cover the cost of their tuition and
are sometimes awarded stipends
for living expenses. But Kelly said
that money isn’t always adequate
for the amount of work that is
done and the cost of living.
“There is a huge tradeoff,” Kelly said.
“We have a lot of students who are
in programs that keep their [offcampus]
jobs and decide to take
a smaller course load.”
In an informal survey conducted by
The Crimson White, around three in
10 graduate students reported having
a second job. Though the majority did
not, a few students said that was only
because they didn’t have the time for
one.
“The ratio of work to payments is
[100] to [zero],” said Kayla Ballard,
a graduate student in the college of
education.
She said for graduate students
to be financially stable, it is
“absolutely” important for them
to have a second job.
While full-time graduate students
grapple with the pressure to secure
an off-campus job to supplement
their stipend, the challenge lies in
juggling a full course load and an
outside job without compromising
educational performance.
Survey respondents echoed
their dissatisfaction with the
stipend rates and called for an
increase in funding packages that
commensurate with their value.
“The payment can definitely be
increased,” one graduate student
surveyed said. “After tax is removed,
the amount I get is barely enough,
especially now with increase
in rent rates.”
Graduate students have not only
encountered problems with finances.
Housing placement and affordability
also pose an issue for some.
“A lot of [graduate students] moved
to Tuscaloosa to pursue their degree,
and sometimes it’s hard to find
affordable housing and function
with a job that allows you to pay a
mortgage, rent or a lease for a condo or
apartment,” Kelly said.
The GSA housing committee is
committed to helping graduate
students find adequate and affordable
housing. Kelly said the GSA housing
committee provides resources for
graduate students to find housing
that fit those diverse needs.
“There are people who start graduate
school later in life, who are already
married and they have kids,” Kelly said.
“They want to find a neighborhood
that is suitable for kids, married life,
and that has good schools.”
Baggett, who is pursuing a doctoral
degree in aerospace engineering and
mechanics, directly works with the
housing committee. She explained
how the housing committee has been
giving graduate students an outlet to
communicate with each other about
housing opportunities, and “giving
graduate students the basis for
community outreach.”
Baggett said one way that the housing
committee helps graduate students
find housing is through surveying
and connecting graduate students
to online resources, like housingoriented
social media pages and
virtual property tours.
“These are opportunities for graduate
students to inform other graduate
students about where they’re
15

living and what their situation
is like,” Baggett said.
Kelly said he would like to see
an increased effort for graduate
students of all identities and walks
of life included in the campus
life at the University.
ANCHORING THE
COMMUNITY
Kelly said while his administration
continues to define the needs of the
diverse graduate student population,
they are attempting to take stronger
approaches than in the past to ensure
that the voices of graduate students
are being represented within the
areas of decision-making at The
University of Alabama.
One of those areas is the Student
Government Association (SGA) where
GSA has been working to exercise its
voice and influence.
Over the years, Kelly said, GSA’s
advocacy has failed to generate
interest within the SGA, and the
needs of graduate students have been
overlooked due to the lack of adequate
representation in the SGA.
“It’s still hard to get into rooms of
decision making, because SGA is a 100-
plus year old organization,” Kelly said.
“We haven’t been invited to the same
rooms as the SGA.”
Although graduate students
are represented in the Student
Government Association, graduate
students only hold six out of the 50
seats in the SGA senate.
“The problem is that it’s lopsided,”
Kelly said. “It’s hard for graduate
students to rely on undergraduate
decision-making.”
Kelly said SGA tenure, which usually
lasts one year, is incompatible with the
needs of graduate students.
graduate students need to succeed,”
Kelly said. “It’s hard to address
the needs of graduate students
in a one-year term.”
Kelly said SGA and GSA are
currently considering adopting
an ambassadorial system that will
foster communication between
the two organizations.
“We are working through different
ways to include graduate input with
the things that we are doing so that
we can communicate well about the
joint needs of each student body on
campus,” Kelly said.
GSA has also lobbied UA senior
leadership to include graduate
students on key administrative
decisions. Kelly said to expand
representation for graduate students
on campus, GSA has added graduate
student representatives to all 14
standing committees within the Office
of Academic Affairs. The standing
committees represent various UA
offices and programs and recommend
policy to university leadership.
Kelly said in the past, GSA struggled
with not having GSA representatives
from every academic department, but
this year, the organization has rebuilt
its delegate system.
“We set out this year to have
delegates from each academic
department on campus,” Kelly said.
“We have given a lot of ownership
to each committee to explore the
needs of graduate students.”
GSA’s internal committees act
independently of the executive
council, led by committee chairs,
and recommend policy changes to
the way that GSA operates.
As GSA continues to expand its
advocacy and form relationships
with decision-makers on campus,
Kelly stressed that if the University
wants to continue to see an increase
in graduate student recruitment
numbers, people need to see a culture
of health and wellness on UA’s campus.
This would mean that the needs
of graduate students are not only
addressed, but put at the forefront
of the University’s mission.
“I want to make sure that students
feel welcome, and that students can
say that the University is a place of
comfort and home for them, because
it’s a representation of who I am,” Kelly
said. “At my core, I’m an advocate. When
I see something that’s not right, I want
to make it noticed, and make sure that
it becomes a place of fairness.”
16
“A body that changes that often is not
conducive to making the changes that
Quin Kelly, GSA president, is determined to have his voice–
and the voices of other UA graduate students–heard.
CW / Hannah Saad

JEFFREY KELLY & TARA DAVENPORT
A DEEPER LOOK AT DIVERSITY
Examining the DEI Cabinet in SGA
Amid renewed national conversations
about diversity, equity and
inclusion, some members of student
government are hoping to repair the
organization’s image.
In 2018, The University of Alabama
Student Government Association
created the vice president’s position
for diversity, equity and inclusion
(DEI) to better mirror Dr. G. Christine
Taylor’s position as vice president and
associate provost for diversity, equity
and inclusion within the University’s
administration. SGA President
Demarcus Joiner was the first elected
to the position, which he held last
year before Caitlyn McTier took over
the role this fall.
With her cabinet team of around 25
students, McTier has been working on
expanding programming and causing
change for the campus community.
“The work that they do is so
important,” McTier said. “I think
that each of them serve a specific,
different subdivision of diversity,
which is so unique to our cabinet.
So I think for us it’s very special to
be able to know that we’re touching
almost every single student and
their unique background.”
THE CERTIFICATE
PROGRAM
One of McTier’s biggest priorities is
bolstering the Diversity, Equity and
Inclusion Certificate Program, which
was a new initiative last year. The
program has already expanded this
year to include an individual advanced
certification option.
“Last year, when the program was
created, we had an amazing amount
of interest. So I was proud of that,
and that’s what I was looking for
this year,” Joiner said. “But Caitlyn
literally took this program and made
it way more than I could imagine.”
The DEI Certificate Program
consists of five main events, which
take place monthly.
To get certified, organizations with
fewer than 200 members must
have at least 20% of their members,
including at least one executive
officer, in attendance at three out of
the five events. Organizations with
greater than 200 members must
have a minimum of 15% of their
members, including one executive
officer, in attendance at three out
of the five events.
The DEI Individual Advanced
Certificate Program is more intensive.
Individuals must attend at least three
out of the five main events, attend
at least three other DEI events
outside of the program, choose to
watch two movies or read one book
from approved lists and meet with
an assigned partner at least once
a month to discuss their different
experiences and perspectives.
Following each of the main events,
all attendees in both the group and
individual certification programs,
must respond to a survey to prove
that they listened and discussed
what they learned.
“I believe, knowing that students
who are doing the advanced
certification are doing it by
themselves and not for their
organizations, I believe that goes
to show that this is not just a trend,
but people are actually wanting to do
better,” Joiner said.
Along with the new opportunity
for individual certification, the
DEI Certificate Program has
evolved this year to highlight more
dimensions of diversity.
From a guest lecture by diversity
educator Jane Elliott, to a pledge to
normalize asking for preferred gender
pronouns, to a panel discussion about
the complexity of equality and equity,
each event has intentionally given
a platform to different experiences,
identities and communities.
CW / Hannah Saad
17

18
AN INTERSECTIONAL
APPROACH
Aside from the DEI Certificate
Program, the cabinet also hosts various
other events throughout the year.
Eboné Ivory, a senior majoring in
business management and the DEI
Cabinet’s director of disability services
and relations, said she enjoyed past
events, like the multicultural fair and
karaoke night. She said they allowed
them to create spaces for international
students to get involved on campus.
“Those are really fun experiences that
we try to create on our campus,” Ivory
said. “As well as the DEI Certificate
Program, [which has] more serious
matters to address and educate our
students on different areas in DEI.”
With these events, the cabinet
highlights that diversity means more
than just race and ethnicity.
“I myself am a student who has a
disability, and there really isn’t a space
where I feel like I’m heard,” Ivory said.
“I very much have to advocate for
myself and work with the Office of
Disability Services, but there [aren’t]
really opportunities for me to meet
students who identify and are proud
of their disability and want to share
and want to embrace who they are.”
Ivory said DEI and SGA have helped
to create more of these opportunities
for her and allowed her to create those
opportunities for others, too.
She said when people think of DEI,
they tend to think of specific groups
like racial minorities, international
students and the LGBTQIA+
community, and, yes, the cabinet does
work with those groups, but those
aren’t the only groups the cabinet
offers support to.
“We also represent veterans who may
be struggling from a lack of support
from our communities and our
country, and then we work a lot with
food insecurity and students who may
be experiencing different setbacks in
their lives,” Ivory said.
She stressed that there are far more
ways than one to be diverse.
“I really believe, in one way or another,
each of us are a part of a DEI group
or category,” Ivory said. “People really
need to think about and reflect [on]
the things that make them unique and
special, and how we as a campus really
want to embrace that and celebrate
that. So, I think that is the overall goal
of our cabinet.”
FAR FROM OVER
Alabama’s student government, with
a mostly-white legislative body and
historic ties to the Machine, has a racist
connotation. And while the cabinet
has made meaningful progress since
its inception, its members understand
that their work is far from over.
One piece of that work is ensuring that
university organizations accurately
represent the campus community’s
diverse experiences.
“Sometimes [university organizations]
think that if we have one minority, or
one LGBT student or one international
student, then that’s diversity, and
that’s not true,” McTier said. “So I
think that’s been one of my biggest
pushes, to make it very clear in the
spaces that I serve in that me being
there isn’t enough.”
Some students feel this issue also
exists within SGA.
“It’s definitely gotten slightly better,”
said Alyssa, a junior majoring in
marketing who did not want her last
name printed. “I’ll see some people
of color in the [SGA] office, but I
definitely still think it goes into that
predominantly white route. I feel like,
when people do run for SGA, in a way,
it’s kind of like a popularity vote and
not what a student can actually bring
to the campus.”
Alyssa emphasized the apparent lack of
Latinx, Asian and Arab students within
SGA, as well as a lack of representation
for the entire community of students
who aren’t involved in Greek life.
She said it seems the people of color
who are visible in SGA tend to be
affiliated with Greek life or endorsed
by other large organizations; they
don’t necessarily represent the
experiences of non-Greek students of
color.
“I feel like this represents how a lot of
people feel,” Alyssa said.
Aleah Brown, a senior majoring in
English and political science and
a former member of the SGA DEI
Cabinet, said the members of SGA that
do represent more diverse groups tend
to gravitate toward the DEI Cabinet.
And although that’s a positive for
the DEI Cabinet, other SGA branches
subsequently lack the same kind of
diverse representation.
“In a way, [people of color seem] kind
of scared to run [for an SGA position],
because they feel that they don’t
have that chance to compete against
someone that has a higher social
presence or organizations backing
them,” Alyssa said.
Brown said negative connotations
about SGA may be counterintuitive to
the organization’s goal of adding more
diverse members.
“I feel like, yeah, there’s this huge
implication where either people
don’t want to get involved, they’re
afraid to get involved, or they just
think that SGA isn’t really doing
anything at all besides just holding a
position, and that’s not true either,”
Brown said. “People in SGA are doing
so much work.”
Brown said some of the progress SGA
makes is overlooked because of those
negative connotations,

like the organization’s complicated
history with the Machine and a lack of
representation in the past.
There was even discussion about
Machine interference in the
appointment of the first Vice President
of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
“Obviously, I feel like those connotations
are still present when you look at
demographics of who’s in SGA, but I
think that’s something we can work
past,” Brown said.
While trying to connect with groups
who hold negative views of SGA,
McTier prides herself on fostering
diverse friendships. Through these
friendships, she hears different
feedback and perspectives, so she
can create programming and push
for change that truly includes
and benefits everyone.
“At the end of the day, it still can
be a little difficult to balance, too,”
McTier said.
‘LISTENING TO HEAR’
The cabinet has come to realize that
even while trying to be intentional
and create programming that is
fair in its representation of all
individuals, there will still be times
when controversy arises. Ivory thinks
those moments of controversy can
sometimes be important gateways to
productive conversations.
She described how OneUA week,
an event hosted by the Division
of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
featuring “A conversation with Jane
Elliott focusing on power, perception
and prejudice,” led to some backlash.
“Although it may have been crazy
hectic in the moment, I think it
opened a real dialogue that this
campus needs to have,” Ivory said.
“[We need] opportunities for people
to ask questions, and to have those
conversations and to understand how it
may make other people feel.”
Brown agreed, noting that, especially
now, it’s important that people are
being truly heard and that leaders
are “listening to hear rather than
listening to speak.”
“When people don’t feel heard, they
kind of attack, and they kind of lash
out,” Brown said. “So, I feel like it’s
important to be able to discuss what’s
happening in the world right now,
and that affects what’s happening
on campus and what’s happening in
individual lives.”
Above all, Brown said, it’s important to
“just be there” for people at this time.
“So many people have questions, and
they don’t know how to ask them,
or they’re afraid that they’ll offend
somebody by asking them,” Brown said.
“So it’s learning how to ask questions,
right. It’s learning to be open to listen,
be open to answer questions because
people really want to know.”
Ivory said within both SGA and the
campus community as a whole, the DEI
Cabinet is creating those spaces where
people can ask genuine questions and
educate themselves.
“I think especially after all of the events
of the summer, we felt an obligation to
make sure we were doing more than
putting on a virtual event, but doing
things that were meaningful,” McTier
said. “So, by no means are we perfect
and by no means have we absolutely
achieved that goal, but something that’s
in the forefront of our minds is how
do we make sure students are actually
impacted and not just watching a video
and twiddling their thumbs on their
phone when they should be learning
something really special and unique to
our UA community.”
A HUGE RESPONSIBLITY
McTier referenced responses from
the post-event surveys for the DEI
Certificate Program as reassuring
signs that students are ready
and willing to learn.
She said the most interesting responses
were from students, usually freshmen,
who were exposed to opposing opinions
for the first time.
“This is their first time ever hearing
about LGBT history; this is their first
time ever hearing about race relations
from a different perspective,” McTier
said. “So it’s always interesting to
read through someone’s response
and see the aha moment when they
realize like, ‘Oh maybe I should
reconsider the way that I believed,’ or,
‘I actually am now very invested, and I
want to learn more.’”
McTier said that kind of feedback is
encouraging but also creates a huge
responsibility on her part.
“Now, I’ve got to offer them the
opportunities to be able to grow, and
offer them tangible solutions to helping
them grow in their knowledge of being
more diverse and more inclusive,”
McTier said.
As a result of the progress the program
has yielded, McTier is currently working
on getting the DEI Certificate Program
added to the SGA Code of Laws, which
will make the program mandatory for
future vice presidents to hold each year.
However, McTier doesn’t think it’s
feasible, as of now, for SGA to make
the program mandatory training
for all students.
“We still have a very, very long way to
go,” McTier said.
She said she’s proud to look back at her
last four years here at The University of
Alabama and see how much progress
has been made each year.
“But then I also have to take a step
back, out of my current UA student
self, and realize that it took until 2017
for us to start having conversations
about needing to have diversity at the
forefront of our conversations, and that
by itself is problematic alone,” McTier
said. “So, I think there is still so much
to be done.”
19

AUTUMN TAYLOR
‘OPEN ARMS’: IDC STAFF HAVE
HIGH HOPES FOR ITS NEW HOME
After four years tucked away on the edge
of campus, The University of Alabama
Intercultural Diversity Center (IDC)
packed its bags and moved into one of the
University’s biggest hubs—the Ferguson
Student Center.
The center, which features vast study
spaces and rotating exhibits on
inclusivity, had its grand opening on Oct.
14, when it officially welcomed students
into its new space on the second floor of
the Ferg.
Earlier in the summer, Vice President and
Associate Provost for Diversity, Equity
and Inclusion G. Christine Taylor unveiled
the finalized plans for the new IDC to the
Black Alumni Association and was met
with cheers of support.
“There were ‘ooh’s’ and ‘ah’s’ and ‘I wish
we had something like that when I was in
school,” Taylor said.
LaToya Scott, the IDC’s interim
director and assistant vice president
of engagement and programming for
the Division of Diversity, Equity and
Inclusion, had a story of her own involving
alumni support.
“A couple of days ago, I had a parent stop
by and talk about what a safe space looks
like for their child,” Scott said. “The
parent is an alumni of The University of
Alabama and they didn’t have a diversity
center when they went to school here. To
hear those stories and hear about how
excited they were for this place was very
impactful.”
The IDC is more than just a place for
socializing – it also serves as a place
for education, emotional support and
educational growth.
“It’s an example of how we are saying we
acknowledge the importance of diversity,
equity and inclusion,” Taylor said. “And
we acknowledge the value of creating safe
spaces for students, as well as culturally
informed spaces for students.”
One of the most defining new features
of the IDC is the history wall. It offers
an opportunity for “cultural teaching”
by highlighting landmarks and notable
moments of diversity and inclusion on
UA’s campus.
“It really makes the things people
talk about tangible,” Taylor said. “All
of it serves as an opportunity for
passive learning. Just because you’re
not in class, it doesn’t mean you’re
not learning something.”
There are learning opportunities all
across the space, some more obvious
than others. Just above the center’s
recognizable, red tinted glass panels are
words representing the driving goals
behind the IDC’s efforts: “collaboration,”
“passion” and “diversity.”
“It was a group effort to make sure that
we represented all constituencies on
campus,” Scott said. “We wanted our
campus to look at those words and think,
‘What do those words mean to me?’ To see
the students talk about it in the space is
very heartwarming.”
Collaboration is a key component of
success in the IDC. The center partners
with other campus organizations and
departments to bring the most enriching
experiences to students. The accessible
location, relaxing atmosphere and
comfortable furniture act as a great
environment for events of all kinds.
“Everything that happens in there is
not necessarily something that we’re
programming,” Taylor said. “Sometimes
there are areas that other groups are
programming because it’s just such a
great space.”
The space is home to monthly passive
programs, each highlighting another
group. Over ten student organizations
and four departments have already
booked some of the space for their own
events and programs.
“We are programming every day in some
shape, form or fashion” Scott said. “So
there’s a constant engagement in that
space.”
Students with little prior knowledge of
the IDC have already begun recognizing
the new space and asking questions.
Gracie Geddie, a junior majoring in
exercise and sport science, was aware of
the IDC prior to the new location but not
of any of its resources.
“I had heard of the IDC before, but I didn’t
know what all they did or what they had,”
Geddie said. “I only really knew their
name and that’s about it. But this space is
really nice, and I like it a lot.”
NOVEMBER
FEBRUARY 6
2016 2017
2018
20
We Are Done activists demand
UA provides a permanent safe
space for students of color in the
Ferguson Student Center
Intercultural Diversity Center
officially opened located in the
Riverside Annex

CW / Garrett Kennedy
Scott mentioned that in the summer,
COVID-19 made her concerned about
encouraging student engagement in the
fall semester.
“It was challenging to really get our
students to apply for these positions at
some points,” she said. “They didn’t have
a visual representation of what it was
or what we do. We really had to explain
our vision and mission, but amazingly
enough we had an outpour of students
responding and applying to jobs.”
Since the opening of its new, prime
location, the IDC has seen a huge rise
in student engagement. On the day of
interviewing, Taylor said that more than
160 new students dropped by the center.
And the IDC is ripe for more than a onetime
visit. There are opportunities for
all interested students to get further
involved within the IDC.
“We have students who come by and
volunteer,” Scott said. “We are so
welcoming of our students, whether
you are an employee or a part of a
class. If an individual student wants to
volunteer, we would love it. We want
students, faculty and staff to feel engaged
and be connected.”
Despite the hurdles of the pandemic,
the center has already hosted several
successful and safe events. Some of the
highlights include the grand opening
and ribbon cutting, football watch parties
and even an Election Day gathering.
“I really love seeing the students be
creative about the utilization of the space
and making it their own,” Taylor said.
These hostings and watch parties
are already striking up conversations
between students, sparking educational
interests and providing opportunities for
immersive learning.
Scott was particularly moved by the
election watch night.
“I thought that was a very special program,”
Scott said. “There was lots of diversity.
But to see that educational component,
and to really hear the stories from the
students and see our faculty come in and
explain to the students what they were
seeing on the screen was just so special.”
Both Taylor and Scott are excited to see
what the future holds for the IDC and
how its success will benefit more than
just the UA community.
“I’m looking forward to a time where
we have students who serve as diversity
ambassadors, who will help us with
some of the outreach we want to do on
campus,” Taylor said.
And while the University has not been a
trailblazer for diversity in recent years,
Scott is hopeful that the IDC could
become a standard-bearer for other
centers of its kind at other universities.
“Our goal for the future is for the IDC to
be known as one of the leading diversity
centers across the country,” Scott said.
“We train our students and faculty
through three focused areas: cultural
exploration, educational engagement
and social enrichment. Each one of our
programs in our space falls into each one
of those categories.”
The faculty and staff of the IDC want each
and every student on the University’s
campus to feel comfortable and welcomed
in their space, especially those who may
feel timid of new places.
“We want to meet who you are, in every
facet of you,” Scott said. “If you can just
make it to the IDC, we promise we will
welcome you with open arms.”
2019 2020
SEPTEMBER JUNE - SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 14
Student activists demand
the IDC to be moved to a
more central location
IDC location within Ferguson
Ribbon cutting at the new location
of the Intercultural Diversity Center
21

Rachel Parker
Purpose Beyond Print
22
In the spring of 2010, Victor
Luckerson was fresh on the job as
the editor-in-chief of The Crimson
White, two years of breaking news
and opinions and features ahead of
him. Though he didn’t know it yet,
he would be the editor to finally
move the paper to entirely original,
non-wire content. He’d be the one
to grow the paper’s online presence.
He’d be the paper’s second Black
editor-in-chief. And he’d be the one
to guide the staff through the April
2011 tornadoes, cranking out more
than 100 articles despite the lack of
access to electricity and internet.
Luckerson grew in his time at The
Crimson White. But working there
was far from a perfect experience.
“I’ve been involved in a lot of
white-owned or white-controlled
institutions in life,” Luckerson said.
“I mean, The University of Alabama
is one of those, right? And The
Crimson White is unusual because
I was the editor of The Crimson
White for two years.”
Luckerson’s position as editorin-chief
forced him to see the
paper through two lenses: both
as a student who
wanted more
representation and more
opportunities for mentorship
from other Black journalists
and as someone bogged down
in managing the bureaucracy of
the paper, Luckerson said. Now
that he has more distance from
his days at The Crimson White,
Luckerson is trying to fix the lack
of diversity that made him feel
alienated in his own newsroom.
Along with other UA student media
alumni, Luckerson is leading up
Media Alumni Seeking to Highlight
Equity and Diversity (MASTHEAD),
a non-profit organization developed
this fall with the purpose to provide
financial and monetary resources
for student journalists of color.
The lack of diversity is
sometimes troubling,
and it’s not always
lack of diversity on the
outside, sometimes it’s
also lack of people who
think differently.
JASMINE
CANNON
MASTHEAD’s mission statement
says that the group will “advocate
for diverse, anti-racist, equitable
student media at the University
of Alabama.” Part of that mission
includes funding for Nineteen
Fifty-Six and The Crimson
CW File White, as well as a mentorship
program that links Black
media professionals with Nineteen
Fifty-Six staff members.
Luckerson, now an author and
journalist, serves as president of
the MASTHEAD board. Jasmine
Cannon, documentary filmmaker
and a fellow alum of The Crimson
White, leads up the mentorship
program in her capacity as a board
director of MASTHEAD. Luckerson
and Cannon said MASTHEAD was
born of many factors, including
the reckoning that followed the
police killings of Breonna Taylor
and George Floyd as well as shared
feelings of disappointment from
majority-white workplaces.
Cannon echoed Luckerson’s
concerns about being the sole
person from a minority group in
the room.
“The lack of diversity is sometimes
troubling, and it’s not always lack of
diversity on the outside, sometimes
it’s also lack of people who think
differently,” Cannon said. “Lack of
people from different locations,
lack of people with different
backgrounds in multiple areas.”
The desire to improve conditions
for future student journalists at
the University drives MASTHEAD
forward. The organization is
currently raising funds through its
official website, and those proceeds
will fund the salaries of an
upcoming race and identity desk at
The Crimson White, scholarships,
sending students to journalistic
conferences and events headed by
student media leaders.
The work from these efforts
began this past summer when

The Crimson White Editorial
Board wrote an editorial about its
goal to look through the paper’s
editorial structure to become
more diverse in hiring and in
sourcing stories. The following
week, Luckerson contacted Rebecca
Griesbach, The Crimson White’s
current editor-in-chief, and offered
MASTHEAD’s help to implement
the board’s goals.
Those goals eventually expanded
to include a dedicated race and
identity desk, based in part on the
one run by the Associated Press, a
system for logging source diversity
and series of collaborative events
between The Crimson White and
Nineteen Fifty-Six—the first of
which is this very issue.
In the spirit of making strides to
be inclusive to students of color,
MASTHEAD has established a
mentorship program. The program
works with the students on the
Nineteen Fifty-Six staff to deliver a
valuable mentorship experience.
“We specifically have been trying
to recruit media professionals of
color and matching them with
students and student journalists
of color,” Luckerson said. “So we
would have that opportunity for
students to have interesting people
who share some of their common
experiences.”
MASTHEAD board members are
hopeful that the mentorship
program will encourage student
journalists of color by connecting
them with people they can see
themselves in.
We specifically have
been trying to recruit
media professionals
of color and matching
them with students and
student journalists
of color.
VICTOR
LUCKERSON
“[The program seeks] to ensure
that students are on campus… feel
empowered; they feel like their
voices matter; they feel like their
time on campus is not being ignored
or wasted and they’re doing things
for themselves and also for their
careers,” Cannon said.
Cannon added that the program
is especially needed at the
University, where there aren’t many
mentorship programs on campus,
especially those that work to match
Black students with Black mentors.
“I think it’s important in particular
that this happens at The University
of Alabama so these students can
have this because I doubt there is
something [at the University] for
all students,” Cannon said. “Even
some of the mentors and alums
that I’ve talked to, they’ve told me
that they wish there were programs
like this when they were in school,
and I’ve seen how the power
of connection, based on where
you went to school, can impact
your professional journey.”
Outside of the mentorship program
and benefits of additional funding,
students working with the UA
Office of Student Media now have
off-campus voices advocating for
their work in diversifying campus
newsrooms. Tionna Taite, the
editor-in-chief of Nineteen-Fifty-
Six, said it not only empowers
the student journalists working
in those organizations, but also
amplifies their work to professional
journalists outside of Alabama.
“MASTHEAD is important because it
shows that our programs on campus
that are pushing for diversity,
inclusion; such as Nineteen Fifty-
Six and The Crimson White, have
outside support,” Taite said. “Not
only from alumni, but just people
in the media field and professionals
who want to see us do well.”
Diversifying UA campus journalism
to accurately reflect its audience is
no easy feat, but MASTHEAD will
be there to back up the student
journalists who want to engage in
that labor.
23

ASHLEE WOODS & KENYA HARRIS
Reinventing the Wheel: Student
athletes marched, but has anything
actually changed?
The United States was built on
exploitation. The exploitation
of Native American people. The
exploitation of enslaved Black people.
The exploitation of workers.
There has always been an oppressed
population in the United States.
And that oppressed population
has always learned to fight back
and resist, employing innovative
strategies in the process.
the labor that has already been done.
Their ideas, far-fetched and void of
nuance, only force regression.
Even with the best intentions,
those who don’t try to reach out
to people already in the trenches
of social change run the risk of
doing more harm than good. The
concept of doing the same activism
work over again, in a needless and
inefficient effort, is known as
reinventing the wheel.
24
CW / Clifton Enlers
It’s actually more than
just sports. You can’t
just sit here and shout
‘Roll Tide’ but then go
be a racist. That’s not
how it works.”
STUDENT
ATHELETE
One of those strategies has always
been the exchange of ideas. Especially
for Black Americans, the march to
freedom was built on a network
of disseminating information—
sometimes furtively and sometimes
loudly. Communication and
collaboration was integral in
bringing about every Black social
movement, from slave rebellions to
Black Lives Matter protests. And
this communication hasn’t only
been amongst contemporaries. For
generations, activists have worked
with the knowledge of the leaders
who came before. But along with
incremental progression comes socalled
activists who are oblivious of
IF IT AIN’T BROKE, DON’T FIX IT
As much as athletes, with their
national platforms and loud-mouthed
naysayers on Facebook, may try to
engage in social activism, they always
run the risk of reinventing the wheel.
Reinventing the wheel comes
up at every step of a progressive
movement because it’s much
easier for institutions to prioritize
business as usual. While business as
usual may be a perfectly reasonable
system for privileged groups, it
can be detrimental for those in the
minority. That’s why it’s crucial
that social movements keep inching
forward instead of yielding to those
who think treading water makes for a
better photo-op.
When it comes to institutions that can
keep things status quo without much
pushback, universities are at the
top of the list. Though students are
notoriously fond of protesting, those
students cycle out every four years,
giving university administrators a
clean slate of students who aren’t
engaged with the activism of
previous years. When they come face-

to-face with the problems that have
plagued generations past, they start
over from the beginning. The only
way to break that cycle in favor of
something sustainable is to reach out
to those off-campus, where people
are rooted in the community as fulltime
residents with no impending
expiration date.
In Tuscaloosa, those groups are
everywhere—Tuscaloosa Bail Out, the
UA Black Faculty and Staff Association
and the UA Department of Gender and
Race Studies all come to mind. These
organizers are active and thriving,
with no ticking clock setting a
time limit on their influence.
These organizations were marching
in June and July, lifting their voices
even without students on campus.
And then August came.
ALL ABOUT OPTICS?
Once students arrived on campus,
student athletes were quick to
organize a march in support of
Black Lives Matter. Football players
spearheaded the demonstration, and
many of them spoke in front of Foster
Auditorium alongside Nick Saban and
athletics director Greg Byrne at the
end of the march.
Many student athletes, like Champion
Allison, a sprinter on UA’s Track
and Field team, were enthused with
the chance to publicly declare their
stance on the matter.
“It made me feel good to see our
generation stand up for something
we believe in,” Allison said.
Other student athletes also supported
Saban’s acts of allyship by walking
alongside the athletes but still
centering Black students by tapping
them to deliver speeches.
racist. That’s not how it works.”
It made students hopeful that maybe
the conversation was shifting, but
it remains unclear what the real
point of the march was. Though
it was explicitly stated that the
march was meant to target racial
injustice and call out the need for
change, there were no substantive
goals or demands.
Several UA athletes said that
while the march seemed
impactful for the optics, nothing
really happened afterward.
“On my team, there was no talk
after the march, and it didn’t really
change anything relating to the
school,” one student athlete source
said. “It didn’t really make an impact
for us students.”
Another student athlete said they had
to be the one to initiate conversations
regarding police brutality and
systemic racial issues within their
team, as there was no further action
from the coaching staff.
While the march may have been
meant to be a call for change, it looks
as though that call was ignored. What
was, for a moment, a huge news story
with the potential to cause major
change, isn’t even a bullet point on a
Wikipedia page.
During the heat of
[Black Lives Matter
protests], no one
talked about it, and the
ambiance was, ‘This is
sports, not politics.’ But
this isn’t politics, these
are human rights we’re
talking about.
RANDALL
CENEUS
There was no shift in conversation,
no action toward inclusive policies
and student athletes say the
circumstances within their own
team remain unchanged. So was the
athletics department only interested
in the march for the photos? Because
one thing is for certain: Black people
and people of color deserve more
than just another symbolic parade
for the cameras.
Specifically, students and student
athletes need effective policy and
“I liked that it opened a conversation
on social media,” one student athlete
said. “It’s actually more than just
sports. You can’t just sit here and
shout ‘Roll Tide’ but then go be a
CW / Keely Brewer
25

26
cultural change on campus, and this
is a responsibility the University and
the athletics department need to be
held accountable for. One student
athlete said there was very little
conversation at all on their team
regarding racial injustice.
If student athletes
became more
knowledgeable
about challenging
infrastructure of
institutions that
disadvantage Black
people, then they could
use the attention they
get in order to shift the
conversation.
RANDALL
CENEUS
“I didn’t know if I wanted to be a part
of the team after [the resurgence of
protests in the summer],” the athlete
said. “During the heat of [Black Lives
Matter protests], no one talked about
it, and the ambiance was, ‘This is
sports, not politics.’ But this isn’t
politics, these are human rights we’re
talking about.”
PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE
YOUR MOUTH IS
Colleges and universities in the
United States generate a good bulk
of revenue from student-athletes. In
fact, schools in the SEC occupied five
of the top 10 spots for most revenue
from student athletics in 2019. The
University of Alabama was ranked
number seven, generating $164.1
million dollars in revenue.
Alabama football is the biggest
contributor, with 59.8% of the
athletics revenue coming from that
sport. Men’s basketball was the
next closest. The economic impact
Alabama sports has on this campus is
well known, but how is the University
allocating that money to support the
well-being of its students and the
surrounding community?
Currently, 28,620 white students
attend Alabama, while just over 4,000
students are Black. Black people
make up 43.9% of the population
in Tuscaloosa, and the poverty
rate is 16.4%, above the national
average of 10.5%.
The University brings in plenty of
money into Tuscaloosa, but seldom
uses it to promote the well-being of
students. The reallocation of money
to funding local organizations that
support impoverished students
would show that the University is in
support of students facing injustice
and is willing to use the money
these students work hard to bring
in to benefit them, not just renovate
campus buildings.
Throughout this volatile year, the
University administration has done
a commendable job of saving face
in response to student-initiated
petitions that demanded the
renaming of buildings on campus
who honored the legacies of men tied
to Confederate leadership, slavery
and eugenics. Students pushed
for renaming with the intent to
highlight the diversity of the history
of Black people and people of color
on campus. Instead of hearing those
ideas out, the UA Board of Trustees
gave the buildings generic names
that only frustrated students more.
HOW CAN CAMPUS
CULTURE SHIFT TOWARD
INCLUSIVITY?
Randall Ceneus, an Auburn alumnus
and previous track and field captain,
was complimentary of Auburn’s
approach to conversations centering
race, as the coaching staff initiated
frequent panels and conversations
amongst student athletes.
“If student athletes became more
knowledgeable about challenging
infrastructure of institutions that
disadvantage Black people, then they
could use the attention they get in
order to shift the conversation,”
Ceneus said. “Student athletes carry
a lot of influence on campus. If they
are very intelligent towards these
social issues, they could convey this
more in campus culture.”
CW / Keely Brewer
It’s clear now that there is much to
be done regarding the University’s
behavior toward Black people and
people of color on campus.
All of the student athlete sources
interviewed for this column agreed
with that sentiment and offered
their perspectives on what could
be done. Two sources agreed that
a start to real change could begin
with Black Greek life. Currently,
only one Black sorority and one
Black fraternity have on-campus
housing. Those two student athletes
agreed that Black Greek life deserves
more and better housing. More
substantial change could be made at
the administrative level, as well as
recruiting more diverse candidates
for professorship and retaining those
candidates for tenure.
Any way you consider it, it’s clear
that the University needs to do
more than get football players
permits to march up the street.
It’s time to go beyond listening
and act.

WE’RE HIRING!
The CW is hiring two race and identity reporters
for the spring 2021 semester. These are paid
staff positions, and they will be part of the CW’s
growing race and identity desk.
underrepresented on campus, or they might
embrace their creative side by producing podcasts
or playlists curated for students who belong to
specific cultural or affinity groups.
The data reporter would assist the news desk
with requesting and analyzing demographic data
– whether it be on race or gender disparities in
faculty pay, discipline policies, or analyzing the
efficacy of recruiting and retention efforts. Having
a reporter devoted to requesting hard-to-get
demographic data will enhance our newsroom’s
investigative efforts and provide incredibly
important insights into how – and where – the
University can be more equitable.
The features reporter will help spark wider
conversations about race, identity and social
change. This reporter might also scope
out human interest stories that celebrate
the accomplishments of students who are
Ideally, these two reporters will work together
on long-form projects. Both might, for example,
spend some time digging through archives or
conducting oral histories to give rich context to
stories ranging from campus activism to building
names – angles that breaking news coverage often
obscure or even erase.
Interested? Visit cw.ua.edu/apply to apply.
Applications are open now until Friday, Jan. 8
at midnight.
Nineteen Fifty-Six Magazine is hiring
for editors and contributors. Go to
1956magazine.ua.edu/apply to apply for positions.
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.
27