Students Establish Black Intellectual Journal

A group of 20 Black students will publish this spring the first issue of the Black Student Register, a new publication which will include essays and articles by Harvard students and Black intellectuals from around the country, according to Diallo A. Riddle '97, the magazine's publisher.

Two of the publication's founders interviewed yesterday said the magazine will fill a void of Black intellectual commentary in the Harvard community.

"The Harvard Black Register is not the BSA newsletter," Riddle said. "We seek to be a forum for Black intellectual thought from students and professors around the country."

The magazine has already signed on Afro-American Studies Chair and DuBois Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., Law School Professor Randall L. Kennedy, Afro-American Studies Professor K. Anthony Appiah and Expository Writing Preceptor Lee Daniels as advisors and writers.

"We want to show that Black intellectuals come in many different stripes," Riddle said.

Production and Design Manager Paul D. Hodgdon '97 said the magazine will demonstrate the diversity of views within the Black community.

"We will show that not all Blacks are the same," Hodgdon said. "We're not all liberal. With our own publication, we can better get our view point across."

The idea for the magazine first emerged last spring when Diallo and Kareem Raymond '97, the magazine's business manager, discussed the lack of a Black student voice on campus, Diallo said.

The two decided to organize the project and spent last summer soliciting support from publishers and editors from various magazines, he said.

The magazine staff has also made numerous appeals to Harvard alumni, especially the Harvard Black Alumni Association, Diallo said.

"I was shocked and very pleased with the response we got," Diallo said. "Almost everyone was very open and very enthusiastic."

The appeals, along with advertising fees, were enough to allow the students to print their first issue, planned for this spring, said Diallo andHodgdon.

The magazine has solicited advertisements fromlarge corporations such as McKinsey, Proctor andGamble and J.P. Morgan, Diallo said.

"We're telling them that this is another waythat they can reach out to those students," Diallosaid.

Diallo and Hodgdon said they hope that thequality of their publication will ensure thesuccess of their magazine.

"We plan to put together a magazine that hasarguments that will be very tight and very sound,even if you don't agree with it," Diallo said. "Inshort, we're going to put out a classy piece ofliterature."

Both Diallo and Hodgdon said they hope thenature of their articles will appeal to the entirestudent body, not just the Black community.

"Our attempt is to make this the most readablemagazine on campus," Diallo said. "We want topresent a magazine that appeals to people of allraces. Hopefully, then they'll understand thecomplexity of race."

Diallo emphasized that the magazine will notfocus solely on traditional race issues.

"Sure, we'll talk about issues like affirmativeaction, but we want to look at other issues thatyou wouldn't normally think of," Diallo said. "Forexample, we'll look at how the Republicantake-over of Congress will affect Blacks."

According to Diallo and Hodgdon, there areapproximately 20 students on the magazine's staff,which relies primarily on word of mouth to recruitnew members.

"Most of the people have worked for otherpublications," Hodgdon said. "There are nonovices."

Diallo said articles will be carefully selectedfor publication.

"We're literally going to take the best four orfive essay," Diallo said. "We'll edit themintensely. We know that everything we do will beput under a microscope.

The magazine has solicited advertisements fromlarge corporations such as McKinsey, Proctor andGamble and J.P. Morgan, Diallo said.

"We're telling them that this is another waythat they can reach out to those students," Diallosaid.

Diallo and Hodgdon said they hope that thequality of their publication will ensure thesuccess of their magazine.

"We plan to put together a magazine that hasarguments that will be very tight and very sound,even if you don't agree with it," Diallo said. "Inshort, we're going to put out a classy piece ofliterature."

Both Diallo and Hodgdon said they hope thenature of their articles will appeal to the entirestudent body, not just the Black community.

"Our attempt is to make this the most readablemagazine on campus," Diallo said. "We want topresent a magazine that appeals to people of allraces. Hopefully, then they'll understand thecomplexity of race."

Diallo emphasized that the magazine will notfocus solely on traditional race issues.

"Sure, we'll talk about issues like affirmativeaction, but we want to look at other issues thatyou wouldn't normally think of," Diallo said. "Forexample, we'll look at how the Republicantake-over of Congress will affect Blacks."

According to Diallo and Hodgdon, there areapproximately 20 students on the magazine's staff,which relies primarily on word of mouth to recruitnew members.

"Most of the people have worked for otherpublications," Hodgdon said. "There are nonovices."

Diallo said articles will be carefully selectedfor publication.

"We're literally going to take the best four orfive essay," Diallo said. "We'll edit themintensely. We know that everything we do will beput under a microscope.