The University of Wisconsin Student Services Finance Committee heard The Black Voice’s 2023-2024 budget proposal Oct. 13, which will be decided at this week’s meeting.
The Black Voice is a student-led online publication whose goal is to amplify the voices of Black UW students, which have historically been silenced, programming coordinator Tatiyana Benson said during the budget proposal presentation.
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“The Black Voice [offers] students the space to tell their stories and report on events on campus, offering their perspective at a predominantly white institution,” Benson said.
The Black Voice’s projected salary budget for 2023-2024, which would pay their editorial board, is $21,546 — an increase of $2,772 from this year’s budget. Benson said the increase would allow for the addition of a copy editor to The Black Voice’s staff.
Their separate programming budget for next year is $17,950, up from this year’s budget of $14,900. Benson said the increase comes from more money proposed for honoraria at Black Journalists Matter and for the addition of food and beverages at the writing lab.
The rest of the budget would go toward programming, Benson said. For example, The Black Voice hosts the Black Journalists Matter campaign every year, an event that brings media professionals to campus to speak.
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“It’s a place for people to gather together and get the experience of viewing a person of color in this field,” The Black Voice’s managing editor Robin Robinson said. “Because the field of journalism and the field of Black people in journalism is very limited and small.”
The Black Voice also has a magazine launch party every year to celebrate their annual physical publication.
Another program on the proposal is The Black Voice’s writing lab, which also serves as a general meeting for members, Benson said.
“They allow for everyone […] to come together and speak so that we’re on a clear page of what’s coming next, what stories need to be put out and things like that,” Benson said.
The Black Voice‘s next event will be “The Grapevine: A Conversation for Black Students by Black Students.” The conversation’s theme will be “Social Media: Modern Perspectives and the Effects on Mental Health.” It will take place Oct. 17 at the Black Cultural Center classroom, according to TVB’s Instagram.
SSFC will vote on whether or not to approve the budget at Monday’s meeting, ASM Chair Lennox Owino said.
