The suspension of two University of Alabama student-run magazines was announced Monday, stating that they no longer complied with the guidance from the federal government regarding diversity, equity and inclusion programs, according to the Crimson White, the University of Alabama student newspaper.
Editors of Alice, a women’s lifestyle magazine, and Nineteen Fifty-Six, a magazine focused on Black culture and student life at Alabama, received the news from university officials.
Editor-in-Chief of Alice Gabrielle Gunter released a statement on the publication’s Instagram that the official Alice social media and email will no longer be active.
“The Alice team is incredibly disappointed at the suspension of such important publications,” wrote Gunter. “Alice has always been a space for everyone and has never excluded anyone based on their identity. We pride ourselves on fostering an inclusive environment where all creative voices can flourish.”
Reached over text, Gunter told Annenberg Media she did not have prior notice that the publication would be suspended. She added that though UA was already compliant with SB 129 — an Alabama bill banning DEI programs and the promotion of certain divisive concepts in certain public settings on campus — the magazines had been allowed to continue to publish.
She wrote that though she believes student activism may be able to get both publications reinstated, she added she feared the suspensions could be an indication of more changes to come.
“The University’s decision shuts down opportunities for marginalized students to create work that reflected their lives,” Gunter wrote to Annenberg Media. “....It may not seem like much for student publications to be shut down, but if you look at the history of countries who have experienced totalitarianism or authoritarianism, the press is often one of the most suppressed aspects of society.”
Deidre Simmons, executive director of communications at UA, said in an emailed statement that the university is seeking to comply with legal obligations and support every member of the community feeling welcome in student media programs.
“The University will continue to provide funding for student media, including funding for a new student magazine that has a broader scope, and will never restrict our students’ freedom of expression,” the statement read. “The First Amendment rights of our students remain fully intact.”
Vice President of Student Life at the University, Steven Hood, told the publications that because they target a specific audience, they are considered “unlawful proxies” and can no longer publish content.
“Universities are supposed to provide a voice for everyone,” Miki Turner, a professor of journalism at the University of Southern California, said. “When you start shutting down voices, particularly voices of color, then what do you have? You have nothing.”
UA spokesperson Alex House told The Crimson White that university officials hope to work with students to make sure the new publication that would begin next academic school year features a “variety of voices and perspectives.”
“This requires us to ensure all members of our community feel welcome to participate in programs that receive University funding from the Office of Student Media,” House said.
Despite suspending the magazines, House added that the University does not restrict freedom of expression for students.
This is not the first time the University has closed programs for certain student groups. Last year, the university closed its Black Student Union office and queer resource center, again citing anti-DEI laws from the federal government.
“You can’t play both sides of that coin; either you’re for it, and you stand behind it, or you’re not, and [then] you’re just succumbing to the current trend from this administration in DC,” Turner said.
Student editors from both publications expressed their disagreement with the announcement.
Gunter told The New York Times that because of First Amendment rights, she felt the magazine would not be affected by legislation.
“It’s extremely sad, especially for those of us who have worked on these magazines for so long,” Gunter told The Times.
Nineteen Fifty-Six was created in 2020 and is named after the year the first Black student, Autherine Lucy Foster, was allowed to enroll at UA.
The magazine has continued to publish weekly content along with biannual print issues aimed at the approximately 11.9 percent of Black students who make up UA.
According to Nineteen Fifty-Six’s website, the magazine’s goal is to provide a way for their community to feel represented.
“We hope to keep students informed about what’s happening around them and provide a space for students of color to feel seen and heard and to share their stories,” their website says.
Editor-in-chief of Nineteen Fifty-Six Kendal Wright said in a statement she was “devastated but, regrettably, not surprised” by the University’s decision to suspend them.
“The students who have cultivated this magazine over its five-year lifespan have poured their hearts and souls into their work,” Wright said.
The Crimson White editorial board released a response to the closure of the two magazines on Wednesday.
“It’s very disheartening,” said Jacob Ritondo, managing editor of the Crimson White. “Student journalists do so much good work — A lot of it goes unappreciated … And so to have a university basically saying ‘we don’t care about that work, we’re going to silence it.’ It just sends a very negative message.”
As for their paper, they see their publication’s future as “a bit uncertain,” and they are worried they may be the next to be suspended, even if they haven’t received any direct indications.
“I want people to know the importance of student journalism and to care and to back student journalists, because when one person’s freedoms are threatened, all people’s freedoms are threatened,” said Ritondo. “It scares me to think about what might happen if we just let this slide.”
University of Alabama alumni have reacted to this news by pitching the idea of funding the two magazines so they can restart production.
Victor Luckerson, president and co-founder of the Masthead non-profit, said in an interview with the local news outlet AL.com that donors would be “excited” to get the magazines printed in the spring if the students are interested.
Student media alumni from the University have also come forward to condemn the censorship of these two magazines and to offer support to their staff.
“This is purposeful suppression of student voices, particularly the voices of Black students and women,” 80 alumni wrote in their letter to the editor in Crimson White published Wednesday. “The University of Alabama — an institution that chronically chooses to be on the wrong side of history — took this convenient opportunity to silence two powerful publications designed for the good of the student body.”
Contributing reports by Aditya Thiyag.