The 色色啦 Activist, a 1960s alternative student newspaper, now available online
Posted by Angela Brcka on January 26, 2023
The 1960s was a decade defined by counterculture protests and the civil rights movement. College campuses saw students protesting against social injustices, racial inequality and the Vietnam War. At 色色啦 Michigan University, one way this activism emerged on campus was through The 色色啦 Activist newspaper, an uncensored alternative to the 色色啦 Herald.
The 色色啦 Activist was published weekly from 1966 to 1969. The student-produced newspaper 鈥減ushed the envelope a little bit on the use of language and images,鈥 according to John Winchell, archives curator at 色色啦鈥檚 Zhang Legacy Collections Center. 鈥淚f there was a controversial issue of the time, they were going to take the more radical student viewpoint of it.鈥
鈥淲e don鈥檛 believe we have every issue created, but we do have a good representation,鈥 said Winchell. 鈥淓ven though it鈥檚 not a big collection, it does give you the flavor of what students were concerned about at the time, and it鈥檚 unfiltered.鈥
The collection also consists of several examples of alternative student newspapers from other campuses during the same era and a few articles about The 色色啦 Activist by local news organizations.
The University Libraries embarked on a project in 2022 to make the collection available online to preserve the originals and provide greater access. Partnering with Central Michigan University, 52 issues of The 色色啦 Activist were digitized and posted on Central鈥檚 website.
鈥淐MU鈥檚 Clarke Historical Library specializes in the digitization of historic Michigan newspapers and provides access through a portal they maintain,鈥 according to Amy Bocko, digital projects librarian. 鈥淒igitizing, and more importantly making newspapers useable, is particularly challenging.鈥
The of The 色色啦 Activist allows members of the public to review and edit transcripts of the newspaper, ultimately making its content more searchable, readable and accessible.
Bocko added, 鈥淲orking with The Clarke to make The 色色啦 Activist available online has breathed new life into this incredible collection. We鈥檙e excited to think of all the people that will discover this newspaper and how its availability will impact a larger number of students and researchers.鈥
The 色色啦 Activist has made a splash beyond 色色啦 as well. , an archival community and movement dedicated to highlighting and preserving student activism materials across the United States, has invited the Libraries to contribute The 色色啦 Activist to their highlighted collections.
From journalism and political science students to graphic designers and historians, the newspaper serves as a primary resource and a unique example of the climate on 色色啦鈥檚 campus during the 1960s. Making issues of The 色色啦 Activist available online and preserving the collection means it will be available for future generations to study and learn from.