With Black World’s first printed issue in 10 years scheduled to be released soon, the publication is renewing its mission to represent the voices of Black and Latino students on campus. The printed newspaper coming out at the end of February aims to distinguish itself from other Stony Brook University media organizations.
“Black World is a media organization where we try to highlight Latino and Black students on this campus,” said Black World lead writer Audrey Fernandez, a senior majoring in biology and minoring in Africana Studies.
Founded in 1974, Black World primarily served as a core aspect of activism on campus, as well as a means for Black and Hispanic students to report on news from their perspectives.
A 1979 edition of a Black World publication, for example, features a variety of articles surrounding student life, from sports to rallies covered with “the black perspective in mind.”
Now, Fernandez and the rest of Black World aim to continue extending their impact, serving Stony Brook’s Black and Latino communities through print publications, multimedia content, general body meetings and events.
“The vision for Black World [is to] be the proving grounds for young Black creatives on this campus,” said Oluwatunmise Akinfeleye, a junior political science and journalism major and Black World vice president.
Black World took a hiatus from 2013 to 2018. Fernandez was told this break was due to a lack of USG funding. When the organization came back to life, Fernandez said that COVID-19 made it difficult for continuity, making the upcoming publication of the Black History Month special issue especially meaningful.
“2022 was the year [Black World] basically started rising back up, and then I feel like the publication kind of set in stone,” Fernandez said. “It really kicked it off into the momentum of Black World.”
Aside from publishing articles and creative writing, Black World serves as a comforting environment for students.
“It’s just nice to be around creative people, creative people who care about the things I care about,” said Meloseri Dumnoi, a video editor and freshman majoring in economics, globalization studies and international relations.
Dumnoi said joining Black World as a freshman significantly eased her transition into college. She described the organization as a safe space for people to express themselves.
“I think it’s a nice place to come and just talk about the things you want to talk about,” Dumnoi said. “Sometimes in class, you want to say something you want to add, but sometimes it gets scary because it’s not as if what you’re saying is wrong, but people around you might not relate to your experience.”
The concept of a shared experience is one of Black World’s main priorities. Black World is Stony Brook’s only media organization focused on and catered to the Black and Latino community.
“What better way than learning through us, instead of hearing from others,” Fernandez said. “Yeah, we could be part of The Press or The Statesman and write an article, but it’s not the same as an entire [publication] being by students of color and for students of color.”
Fernandez’s statement alluded to a section of The Statesman called “Black Voice” that was active for some time during the 1960s. She described the section as “before Black World was Black World.”
The special issue is expected to be in circulation by the end of the month. Black World will be hosting a launch party on Feb. 25 in the United Nationalities in the Transcending Ideologies (UNITI) Cultural Center.
The organization evidently has aspirations beyond being yet another campus publication. They strive to make a mark on the University and beyond.
“I want it to be a place where years down the line, we can have notable alumni like ‘Oh, yeah, started at Black World,’” Akinfeleye said.
Correction 2/20/2023: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that a 1960s column in The Statesman was called “Black Boys.” The column was actually called “Black Voice.”
