On March 23, student journalists at the University of Alabama sued the school over the closure of the campus publications Alice and Nineteen Fifty-Six last December. In a lawsuit filed with the aid of the ACLU, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and the Legal Defense Fund, the students argue that UA violated their First Amendment rights by targeting media outlets that sought to elevate Black and women perspectives.

As this case winds its way through the courts, we can’t wait idly by while students are deprived of their free speech rights. This spring MASTHEAD is publishing two new independent student publications, Selene and Sixty-Three, created by the staffs the magazines that UA shut down. We plan to continue publishing these magazines in the 2026-2027 school year, so students still have a platform for free expression as they pursue their court case.

But we need your help.

We need to raise $60,000 to publish two print editions of each magazine. The money will cover printing and distribution costs, staff salaries, equipment fees, and promotion. We will update donors as we hit smaller targets building towards our overall goal. You’ll know each step of the way when we’ve raised enough money to pay student editors a fair wage, stand up a digital operation, publish a pair of print magazines in the fall, and, hopefully, publish in print in the spring as well.

By raising these funds, we can collectively act as a bridge between past students who who benefitted from working on campus media, and the present and future students who are fighting for their rights in court while working on Selene and Sixty-Three. Students deserve for their voices to be heard. We must support them in this moment when the University has failed to do so.

About MASTHEAD

MASTHEAD is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that advocates for diverse, anti-racist, and equitable student media at the University of Alabama. We have been working closely with student journalists since 2020 through mentorship programs, financial funding for student initiatives and speaker events. Our organization includes a board of UA alumni and faculty, a group of 25 volunteers and nearly 400 previous donors.

Defend a Free and Fair Press at the University of Alabama

Help us keep Black and women's student publications alive after UA tried to shut them down