Between the grassroots support that emerged from #BlackLivesMatter, the student-led organizing of cultural center reform campaigns, the Fossil Free movement, financial aid reform protests, and now the project to Unite Yale, there has been an immense growth of activism on campus. Although there have always been a handful of Yalies who were willing to throw…
My first name is Karléh – the Ghanian word for “lovely”. My middle name is Ashanta, which is an extension of the Swahili word for life, “Asha”. In some Southeast Native American tribes, Ashanta means Princess. And for the Ashanti tribe in Ghana, having the name Ashanta denotes royal blood. So, my name can be…
“Our nation was born in genocide when it embraced the doctrine that the original American, the Indian, was an inferior race. Even before there were large numbers of Negroes on our shore, the scar of racial hatred had already disfigured colonial society. From the sixteenth century forward, blood flowed in battles over racial supremacy.” –…
DOWN Magazine emerged out of the silences intentionally and unintentionally created by the overwhelming whiteness of Yale’s journalistic landscape. These gaping holes motivated us to create a publication that would not only enrich the communities in which it is grounded, but also create an outlet for the news, voices, and arts that have been pent…
On April 3rd, Tumblr users will once again be confronted with a mosaic of Black beauty curated using the hashtag #BlackOut. Without a doubt, organizing coming out of Ferguson was strengthened by the broad coalition of people of different races and backgrounds who came together to stand firmly in defense of black lives. I continue…