In 1900, Emma Azalia Hackley became the University of Denver’s first African-American graduate. In 1964 and later in 1967, Martin Luther King Jr. was invited to speak on the university’s campus. Women have been earning degrees from the University of Denver since 1886 and have been involved in the production of the Clarion at least since 1905.
The University of Denver has continuously evolved to meet the needs of its community and the surrounding world, and since 1899, the Clarion has been there to tell the story every step of the way.
One hundred and twenty-five years after the creation of the Clarion, however, the world is a much different place.
With an ever-present conscientiousness of global issues, it can be all too easy to lose sight of our own communities’ needs. The overwhelming presence of larger narratives and discourses tends to obscure our awareness of local stories of both struggle and success.
UNIFY was founded in 2023 by former Clarion Editor-in-Chief Ana Ortega for the purpose of amplifying voices that are too frequently drowned out. Nearly two years later, we are as committed to this mission as ever.
The most recent demographic breakdown of the university’s population reports that as of Fall 2022, the reported make-up of the student body is 65% White, 13% Hispanic or Latino, 5.2% Mixed Race, 4.4% Black, 4.4% Asian, only 0.5% American Indian or Alaska Native and only 0.1% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. While this reflects a far more diverse campus than it would have in 1899, the discrepancies are still clear.
The statistical minority status of the students included in the groups listed above is the primary reason for UNIFY’s existence. For a university that states that it fundamentally, “is its people — all its people,” the equitable use of journalism to bring attention to the needs of marginalized groups is not simply an obligation, but an ethical necessity.
UNIFY’s promise to the University of Denver is that through our coverage of both national developments and local stories, it will continue to support and lift the voices of our marginalized communities.
The University of Denver has grown before to meet changing social landscapes. UNIFY is simply the next natural step in our university’s story.
