University of Alabama – Suspension of Black and Female Student Magazines

Summary

On December 1, 2025, University of Alabama officials informed the editorial teams of two longtime student magazines, Alice, a women oriented lifestyle and wellness publication, and Nineteen Fifty Six, a magazine centered on Black student culture and experiences, that the university would immediately suspend both publications. Administrators told students the decision was driven by shifting federal policy on diversity, equity and inclusion, specifically a July memo from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi advising institutions that receive federal funds to avoid practices that could be seen as unfairly targeting certain groups even if the rules appear neutral, meaning rules that seem impartial but effectively act like they favor or exclude people based on race, sex, or other protected characteristics. University spokespersons said it was necessary to ensure compliance with changing federal guidance and to make all student media programs accessible to everyone. Students were also told the university plans to develop a new broader scope magazine for the next academic year. University officials emphasized that the decision was about legal compliance and insisted that students’ freedom of expression remains fully intact. The Fall 2025 issues of Alice and Nineteen Fifty Six became their last in the current form.

The suspensions quickly became a focal point for debate over diversity equity and inclusion policy and campus free speech. Critics both on and off campus argued that neither magazine had barred participation based on race, gender, or other identities and that opening membership to all students meant they did not run afoul of antidiscrimination law. Magazine editors, including Alice editor in chief Gabrielle Gunter and Nineteen Fifty Six editor Kendal Wright, expressed shock, devastation, or deep sadness at the decision, noting that both publications had been inclusive and had significant engagement from diverse contributors. Many pointed to the broader context of recent state and federal efforts to curtail diversity equity and inclusion programs, including the removal of dedicated spaces for the Black Student Union and LGBTQ plus resource center at the university under Alabama’s anti DEI legislation SB 129, which bans publicly funded DEI initiatives and divisive concepts. Public petitions to reinstate the magazines gathered thousands of signatures, and student groups staged petition deliveries and protests to university leadership in early December 2025.

Across the campus community and beyond, reactions mixed concerns about press freedom, representation, and the meaning of anti DEI compliance. Some commentators and campus publications argued the university’s reliance on the federal memo was overly cautious or legally unfounded, and that the suspension constituted a form of viewpoint discrimination against publications that served particular communities. Others framed the situation as part of a larger national and statewide climate in which diversity equity and inclusion initiatives have been increasingly restricted, affecting not just student media but also academic programs and physical spaces once dedicated to supporting marginalized students. In response to the suspensions, alumni and advocacy groups launched fundraising campaigns to help the magazines publish independently in Spring 2026.