University of Alabama shutters 2 student magazines, citing federal DEI guidance

Two student magazines were shut down on Dec. 1, 2025, by the state-run University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, which said they violated guidance from the Justice Department about funding for diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

Nineteen Fifty-Six covers Black student life and culture, while Alice focuses primarily on women’s fashion and wellness. Both publish print editions in the spring and fall semesters, as well as online content.

The closures came in the wake of a July 29 memo issued by Attorney General Pam Bondi to recipients of federal funding, with guidance on how to comply with antidiscrimination laws, part of the Trump administration’s larger effort to reverse policies promoting DEI.

One section of the memo cautioned against “unlawful proxy discrimination,” explaining, “Unlawful proxies occur when a federally funded entity intentionally uses ostensibly neutral criteria that function as substitutes for explicit consideration of race, sex, or other protected characteristics.”

According to The Crimson White, the university’s student newspaper that first reported the suspensions, Vice President for Student Life Steven Hood told the staff of the two magazines that because their audiences are specific groups, they are considered “unlawful proxies.”

University spokesperson Alex House said in a statement the closures allow the school to “ensure all members of our community feel welcome to participate in programs that receive university funding from the Office of Student Media,” the Alabama Reflector reported.

Neither magazine limited participation based on racial or gender identity.

“I was under the impression that we were protected from being affected by any anti-DEI legislation and rulings because of our First Amendment right to freedom of press, but it appears I was wrong,” Alice Magazine Editor-in-Chief Gabrielle Gunter told the Reflector.

In a statement posted on social media, Kendal Wright, Nineteen Fifty-Six editor-in-chief, said she was “devastated but, regrettably, not surprised” by the decision. She added, “Regardless of our suspension, there will continue to be a need on campus for the stories of the university’s Black community to be told.”

The move drew national attention and sparked anger among students and alumni. One group started a fundraiser for the magazines, raising more than $25,000 in just three days. Those funds will cover the costs for the two spring editions of the magazine, the Media Alumni Seeking to Highlight Equity and Diversity group said.

U.S. Reps. Terri Sewell and Shomari Figures, both Alabama representatives, wrote a Dec. 16 letter to University of Alabama President Peter Mohler to call on the school to reinstate the magazines, saying the decision has “profound implications for free speech, academic freedom, and the University’s stated commitment to fostering an inclusive campus environment.”