With just two items, the African Ink collection is the smallest collection I have processed during my time at University Archives. However, these materials made evident that interesting stories can be held in collections of any size!
This recently processed collection includes the April 1993 and May 1993 issues of the student newspaper Afrikan Ink. The monthly newspaper was established in April 1993 by the IU Black Student Union with the goal of representing Black community voices on the IU Bloomington campus. The paper includes sections for arts, local news, opinion, and political analysis. Although it is unclear exactly how long the newspaper was in production, only one other issue (Summer 1993) is known to exist in the Saint Louis University Archives.
In an interview with The Chronicle of Higher Education, Afrikan Ink Editor in Chief Julie Piatt explained that the publication was created after a former editor at the Indiana Daily Student noticed a lack of Black representation in the newspaper’s staff and content. The IDS would go on to collaborate with Afrikan Ink, though, sharing their computer system and facilities with the fellow student newspaper. Afrikan Ink was distributed across campus and mailed to Black students in Bloomington.
Below are some highlights from the two newspaper issues in our collection.
One story from the May 1993 issue describes an alternative spring event to that year’s Little 500. According to the paper, several students made the 10-hour drive from Bloomington to Atlanta, Georgia to attend the annual Freaknik street party. Freaknik began in 1983 as a small annual picnic held by local students from historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), but by 1993 had become a major festival attended by over 100,000 people. Afrikan Ink reported that “Streams of well-dressed women and men showed off their best gear including real non-poisonous ‘snake minks.'” The last Freaknik took place in 1999, so this story presents an important record of students’ experiences during the latter end of the event’s lifespan.
Another story from the April 1993 issue highlights the IU Soul Revue and its new director, Dr. William Banfield. Banfield is a successful professor and composer, having since taught at Harvard, Princeton, and the Berklee College of Music. He also hosted the radio show “Landscapes in Color: Conversations with Black American Composers” on National Public Radio. Afrikan Ink recognized Banfield’s positive impact on the Soul Revue, explaining that “Banfield has taken the ensemble back to the roots of Black music.” A collection of Banfield’s papers can be found in IU’s Archives of African American Music and Culture.
These are only two stories within our available issues of Afrikan Ink, but there are many more to discover. Make an appointment with the archives to read more stories! Or, hang tight – these two issues are going into our digitization queue and will be available online later this year!
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