Student newspaper says it's 'committed' to 'anti-racism'
The University of Alabama student newspaper committed itself to anti-racism and recruiting a diverse staff.
The CW’s editors took their social justice mission a step further, however, by beginning to publish a report each semester detailing the demographics of its staff.
Leftist politics are at the forefront of the University of Alabama’s (UA) student newspaper, The Crimson White (CW).
In June 2020, the CW published a social justice-oriented editorial titled “Our View: Change comes from within.”
“We are committed to rejecting anti-Blackness, recruiting and retaining a diverse staff and sincerely engaging with Black readers while keeping anti-racism at the forefront of our journalistic mission,” the Editorial Board declared in the piece.
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The writers went on to lay out a three-part call to action, including asking the UA administration to “[p]ermanently remove white supremacist symbols on campus,” “[h]ire more diverse-thinking Black administrators,” and “[i]ncrease support for all Black organizations on campus.”
The CW’s editors took their social justice mission a step further, however, by beginning to publish a report each semester detailing the demographics of its staff.
The most recent report, which covered the Fall 2021 semester, classified editors and staff on the basis of race, gender, sexuality, and more.
The newspaper’s liberal message has not waned since these initial efforts, as can be seen in recent CW opinion pieces such as “Banning Abortion is About Power, Not Life” and “It’s Time to Take on Alabama’s Draconian Anti-Trans Laws.”
This content is not confined to the opinion section, either.
An article titled “Culture Pick: Trixie Mattel shows that drag and home renovation go hand in hand in ‘Trixie Motel’,” sat on the front page of the culture section.
Another culture section piece, published on Apr. 10, addressed the perceived problem that “Trans students lack visibility at UA.”
That same day, the article “UA history course explores queerness in the South” was published, promoting an upcoming course at the university that “allows ample space for students to investigate topics and nuances of the discussion of queer identity that they are passionate about.”
The University of Alabama, Crimson White’s editor-in-chief, and Crimson White’s faculty advisor have all been contacted for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
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