about us..



COMRADE is a leftist zine composed entirely of politically engaged writing, art, and other media by undergraduates of color.

The 2023-2024 academic year at Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design has undeniably been shaped by the momentum of student activism and solidarity with Palestinian resistance. Relationships are the foundation of our organizing: distributing masks, marshaling rallies, coordinating logistics, sharing mutual aid funds. It is increasingly clear that the University doesn't give a fuck about us. In fact, it would rather arrest us than listen to our pleas, asks, and demands. 

This incredible show of resistance has ushered in a need to truly confront the limits of campus publications and the editorial potential they can sacrifice in favor of procedure. Rhetorical and symbolic violence lurk around the corners of even so-called "leftist" prestige publications, cloaked in the language of journalistic ethics, editorial standards, and "fact"-checking. We recognize the crucial importance, particularly during this time, of pursuing other avenues toward radical artistic and knowledge production. This zine is sensitive and trusting of the invaluable knowledge and experience of each of our contributors; above all, this cross-coalitional project prioritizes ethical creative practice and an understanding of the immense force it brings. 

This collaborative, open-ended zine project focuses on the experiences of students of color and their relationships to advocacy, justice, and movement work. Its purpose in both structure and ethos is to serve as the archive of our collective knowledge and different theories, frameworks, and praxis inside-and especially outside-of the institution. We welcome each of our writers and artists to contribute whatever they are feeling, thinking, embodying, reflecting, or enacting toward a future of collective liberation. 

So read. Circulate, Distribute. Hack. Flyer. March. Disrupt. Disobey. Sing. Art Build. Fundraise, Show out. Teach in. Speak the truth. Talk your shit. Screenprint a T-shirt. Check on your friends. Jitsi call. Get on Signal. Learn how to use InDesign. Research. Write a report. Initiate a conversation. Relinquish your comfort. Do the boring work.
Be our comrade.
=
                                     

© COMRADE 2024