Letter from the Editor-in-Chief, Volume 1, Issue 1

THIS ONE’S FOR YOU, THE GAME CHANGER.

BLACK RAP

A WORD FROM

THE EDITOR

Sawubona. Bonjour. ¿Cómo estás hoy?

I was motivated by a vision to create a captivating issue that simultaneously embraces

diversity, celebrates cultural differences, welcomes unconventional opinions and shows that YOU, YES, YOU CAN achieve anything that you set your mind to. This vision was made possible by an Editorial team inclusive of like-minded game changers from Chicago to Zimbabwe to Canada to Nigeria and all the way to Haiti.

This monthly issue is for you- the rebels who paint and shape the world, the game changers, the leaders that see one closed door as a path to a bigger door, the leaders who step up to the challenge and grab the bull by the horns.

As you slowly unwind and flip through the sections in this magazine, hopefully you will feelinspired by the content that makes up this magazine--interviews of successful Lake Forest College Alumni, stories of global citizens melting our pot, poems that question the common narrative, 70’s art, hidden history and politically active youth--that will get your wheels turning.

33 years later--with 20/20 vision--our Editorial team has officially brought back Black Rap with a similar quest: to empower, inspire and challenge the norm. The original first Black Rappublication was launched by African American student leaders at Lake Forest College in 1968 after the assassinations of Robert Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The student leaders worked towards a culturally diverse paradigm through their advocacy for change, focusing on local, national and international injustices around the peak of the Civil Rights movement.

I value your feedback. The good, the bad and the downright nasty. After all, this magazine can only get bigger and better. So tell me, what do you love about this issue? Now that you’ve got my full attention, what would you like the next issue to feature? Email me or scan the QR Code below to send feedback.

Until next time, later gator,

Rudo Ellen Kazembe

Editor-In-Chief

kazembere@lakeforest.edu