Letter from the Editor

In September of 2021, I, a first-year student with no connections, money, or any idea where half of my classes were, made a crucial and life transforming decision: I wanted to start a social justice magazine.

Many have asked me how I came up with the idea to start Counterculture. Admittedly, it was in some ways quite selfish. The moment after I moved in my last box, I was ready to jump into the world of activism that had drawn me to Richmond. My second tour at the university was punctuated by the climax of the still-ongoing battle over the names of the Humanities Building and Mitchell Hall. Everywhere I went, evidence of this war was all around me— from the rough red splatters of graffiti spelling out “Black Lives Matter ” to my own tour guide, an admissions officer who sheepishly told me the student guides weren’t available to show me around. Many of the other liberal arts schools that I had applied to often told me about the spirit of social justice that punctuated their student bodies, but I largely saw the same homogenous liberalism that decried racism but did nothing to solve it. Here, though perhaps small, I saw proof that this wasn’t just a school where students just talked about the issues that plagued their campus. They did something about it.

A few weeks into my freshman year, I attempted to join groups and organizations that I thought would continue this legacy but found myself increasingly disappointed in the scope that they were limited to. I am a person who is interested in all kinds of social justice issues due to their interconnectivity: to me, all issues are the children of white supremacy and its conjoined twin, capitalism. I noticed my peers posting on social media what could have been the introductions to ridiculously well-written op-eds about issues both on campus and all over the world. Where were these students? Why were their voices not being heard? And more crucially, why wasn’t there a platform for these ideas to be expressed in a way that wasn’t just limited to an occasional op-ed in the student newspaper or a lengthy Instagram post?

The original name of this magazine was “Provocation,” in what I thought was an edgy attempt to imply that its contents would be provocative. But a part of me knew it wasn’t right. Counterculture Magazine reflects the changing demographics of the University of Richmond, a school that was and still is defined by a largely white and Northeastern population. This magazine is intended to show that with the rise of students of color, LGBTQ+ students, first generation and low-income students, and our white allies, there is a counterculture.

That there is, as the dictionary notes, “a way of life and set of attitudes opposed to or at variance with the prevailing social norm.” We stand against white supremacy and capitalism. We fight against racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and xenophobia. We are diverse and have varied life experiences and despite all odds historically, have made our way to a 72,000 dollar predominately white school in one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the city of Richmond. This magazine’s purpose is to showcase the concerns of students that were never intended to be on this campus.

I was not sure if this magazine would come to fruition. There were many times this year that I thought it would die amid midterm papers and other commitments. Yet against everything, a group of 20 first years managed to organize, create, and write a magazine devoted to sparking intellectual thought and invigorating the spirit of activism that first drew me here. Most of the time we had no idea what we were doing. In some ways, we still don’t. But it was our love of justice and our passion towards this project that is the reason it exists today. Written by first years and forged in the fire of ideas, it is with the utmost pride that I introduce you to Counterculture. Happy reading.

Best,

Christian Herald

Founder and Editor in Chief