Rize, Washington University’s independent Black student newsletter, made its first appearance on campus Feb. 1, when the paper published its first ever issue.

Jaden Satenstein | Student Life

Rize’s editor-in-chief, Efua Osei, poses with the first issue of Washington University’s independent Black student newsletter.

However, for sophomore and Rize editor-in-chief Efua Osei, the inspiration for Rize came from publications that existed on campus decades ago. When examining Washington University archives for a class this past August, Osei discovered multiple Black student publications, including the Black Collegian, which was published from 1968 to 1971.

“Looking at the Black Collegian, it was just so cool just because I have a love for just newspapers in general,” Osei said. “Just about the layout, the design, getting the news. Just bringing communities together through that mode of information sharing. And so to know that this existed on campus in the late ‘60s, ‘70s—it was just so cool.”

The Black Collegian was created during a pivotal time in the University’s racial history, as it was first published in 1968, the same year as the Brookings Hall sit-in, an eight day occupation of Brookings Hall by the Association of Black Collegians (ABS) in protest of the low enrollment and mistreatment of Black students at Wash. U. ABS expressed their demands in the “Black Manifesto,” a document pressing the University to increase Black student enrollment and financial aid as well as create a Black Studies department, which eventually became the African and African-American Studies department.

Osei, a political science and African and African-American studies double major from Dover, Del., has been active in the Black student community through the African Student Association, Association of Black Students and serving as assistant choreographer of Black Anthology.

Recognizing the opportunity that the Black Collegian provided for Black students to share their views and experiences, Osei realized the importance of reinstituting a similar platform for current students, thus inspiring to her to use her love for newspapers to create a new Black student publication.

“I feel like there’s nothing that currently centers around Black students in the way that the Black Collegian did, which is something that I felt needed to be brought back, and it was something that I really had a passion for,” Osei said.

The paper had its first meeting in November 2018, during which those interested in being involved discussed content the paper could feature. This staff conceptualized the publication’s name when brainstorming possible titles for a piece on Moonlight Breakfast, during which many Black students gather to celebrate the end of the semester through music, dancing and food—a tradition referred to as “Moonlit Breakfast.”

The word “rise” was proposed by sophomore Cece Heard as a possible aspect of the article’s title; however, Osei and fellow meeting attendees thought that the word would be perfect for not only the title of that particular piece but the entire paper. The decision to use a “z” instead of an “s” was rooted in the active nature of words ending in “ize.”

“[Heard] was talking about how, in terms of the other things we were talking about, rising above and just the word ‘rise’ and how that has certain connotations in the Black community, but also words like ‘revitalize, reorganize’ things that have the ‘R,’ ‘IZE’ ending and then kind of putting that together,” Osei said. “It looks good to me, aesthetically. ‘Rize’ just looks good, it sounds great, it can be applied to so many different things, talking about revitalization, reorganization, realization.”

After spending the first few weeks back from winter break creating and designing content, Rize released its first issue February 1. Independent from the University and Student Union, the paper received funding to print 50 issues from the Center for Diversity & Inclusion, also releasing a digital version of the paper through its Facebook page, which was circulated to Black alumni through support from the Black Alumni Council.

Though Osei acknowledges the extra financial constraints of being independent from Wash. U., she believes that the paper’s independence is vital to accomplishing its goal of being an open platform for Black students to freely use their voices.

“[Being independent] means that we have the freedom to say the things that we would like to say and allow people to view our thoughts, our feelings and our emotions and our words unfiltered,” Osei said. “Being independent really takes away any stipulations that can be put on you and put on your art and your work and your words.”

Rize is officially referred to as “WUSTL’s Independent Black Newsletter” on its cover; however, Osei expressed that she finds it difficult to categorize the paper as either a magazine, newsletter or newspaper, as it contains elements of all three. She plans to begin referring to Rize as a newspaper and hopes that by acquiring more funding, Rize will become a monthly publication.

The staff is currently working on its second issue, which Osei plans to publish in April. Her goal is to use the paper as a way to showcase Black student, alumni and faculty accomplishments in order to establish more connections between those different facets of the Wash. U. Black community.

“I really want people to—I think in terms of real ambitions, looking at the kind of the reach that the Black Collegian had and looking at how it really brought together people in the Black community, the small community that it was in 1968, and it really got people excited to do things,” Osei said. “It showcased people’s voices, people’s talents, people’s words, what they were feeling. And [they] weren’t afraid to let people know what they were feeling.”

Osei encouraged all those interested in Rize to get involved through writing, designing and/or assisting with operational logistics. Students can contact the organization through their Facebook page, Rize Media, or by email at [email protected].