The student newspaper Black Rap began publication in the fall of 1968, following the assassinations of Dr. King in April and of Robert Kennedy in June and the confrontation at the Chicago Democratic Convention in August. Black Rap was launched by Lake Forest College African-American students as they responded to the threats and challenges as well as to the gains they had made in the earlier 1960s Civil Rights Movement. The periodical was most regular in the early years and then continued into the 1980s on an occasional basis, with coverage of campus and also Chicago, national and international (Pan-African) issues, including Marxist or Communist perspectives. The format of issues varied, from letter-size ditto in the earlier issues to a tabloid scaled, newsprint, alternative newspaper’s standard appearance in the 1970s.
In 2020, Black Rap began publishing once again with a new generation of students. Those issues are also included on this page. In March and April the new Black Rap publication was downloaded over 1,000 times in 35 countries.
Black Rap Vol. 1 No. 1 (Fall 1968)
Black Rap Vol. 1 No. 2 ( Fall 1968)
Black Rap Vol. 1 No. 3 (Nov 1968)
Black Rap Vol. 1 No. 4 (Jan 1969)
Black Rap Vol. 1 No. 5 (Feb 1969)
Black Rap Vol. 1 No. 6 (Mar 1969)
Black Rap Vol. 2 No. 1 (Feb 1970)
Black Rap Vol. 2 No. 2 (Mar 1970)
Black Rap Vol. 2 No. 3 (Apr 1970)
Black Rap Vol. 2 No. 4 (May 1970)
Black Rap Vol. 3 No. 1 (Oct 1970)
Black Rap Vol. 3 No. 2 (Nov 1970)
Black Rap Vol. 3 No. 3 (Feb 1971)
Black Rap Vol. 4 No. 1 (Fall 1971)
Black Rap Vol. 4 No. 2 (Feb 1972)
Black Rap Vol. 4 No. 3 (May 1972)
Black Rap Vol. 5 No. 1 part 1(Feb 1973)
Black Rap Vol. 5 No. 1 part 2(Feb 1973)
Black Rap Vol. 8 No. 9 (Oct. 1976)
Black Rap Vol. 9 No. 9 (Nov 1976)
Black Rap Vol. 9 No. 10 (Feb 1977)
Black Rap Vol. 14 No. 1 (Nov 1981)
Black Rap Vol. 14 No. 2 (May 1982)
Black Rap Vol. 15 No. 1 (Feb 1983)
Black Rap Vol. 16 No. 1 (Fall 1984)
Black Rap, Volume 1, Issue 1, 2020
Black Rap, Volume 1, Issue 2, 2020
Archival issues from Black Rap’s original run, 1968-1987, were part of a digitization project led by Courtney King ’13, Chicago, with assistance from Jade Perkins ’14, Chicago. Introductory text by Arthur H. Miller, former Archivist.