Eraced Magazine

To the CSF Committee and Staff,

Eraced Magazine is a print and online media publication focused on race and intersectionality, amplifying the voices of Black, Indigenous, and people of color. It was founded by a UW journalism and environmental science student, wanting to form a newsroom that celebrates difference and promotes inclusivity. The team comprises UW students from a variety of majors and departments, with contributors from colleges and universities all across the country. 

We are a publication chronicling the ways racial trauma of the past impacts all spheres of life today. Our mission is to redefine traditional journalism by working to dismantle systemic oppression in journalism, art, and literature. We are aligned with principles of social and environmental sustainability, as we promote messages of intersectional environmentalism and racial justice, and support deeply-contextualized work that seeks to educate. 

Eraced Magazine is hoping to receive a $1000 fund to increase our readership and fund our first print magazine. We believe Eraced would be an excellent candidate for this mini-grant, as it closely exemplifies the CSF’s 4 Project Criteria. 

Sustainable impact

At its core, principles of social and environmental sustainability inform Eraced. From a social sustainability lens, Eraced contributors all promote content of inclusion and cultural awareness, as curated pieces examine the world through the lens of race and intersectionality — contextualizing and preserving the deep origins of various communities’ values. Sources for articles are primarily BIPOC, as the magazine strives to represent these communities by directly amplifying their voices. In this way, writers are encouraged to interview and work closely with marginalized communities to tell their stories and raise awareness of issues affecting them. 

The magazine’s sections and subsections depict interdisciplinary collaboration, as writing about the environment also entails community work, scientific research, and equity-based insights. We offer multiple mediums for discussion, supporting a number of subjects, including everything from technology to politics, and many forms of communication, such as graphic arts, photography, podcasts, and the written word. 

Our magazine also promotes themes of environmental justice and sustainability. When we print our first magazine we want to focus on producing the smallest amount of product to sustain the demand. We do not want to create excess waste, but rather maintain intentionality with our production. In addition, we are looking to print and distribute our magazines without excess packaging.

Eraced also has a section focused entirely on the environment. This section offers tools for discussion, learning and unlearning, and ecology-based articles. Most of these pieces relate to the Seattle area and could educate the UW in their environmental projects. For example, a recent piece discussed green spaces in Seattle and how the city’s new draft of its Urban Forest Management Plan better engaged the community. The article discussed the co-benefits of green spaces and how urban forestry has been unequally distributed, and what the city can do to address that. Environmental articles, like this one, could have a positive impact for the UW in its collaboration with the city’s environmental policies. 

Leadership & student involvement

Eraced is a fully student-led magazine and one that enables mobility with leadership and involvement levels. The core executive team comprises the editor-in-chief, editorial lead, arts lead, social media managers, and media outreach lead. For writers and content creators who have improved with time and who are seeking leadership positions, we offer editorships and closer collaboration to give them the space to grow. Because we are an interdisciplinary and multimedia magazine, there are wide-spread opportunities for students of different backgrounds and interests. 

Education, outreach, & behavior change

Eraced supports many education and outreach initiatives to improve our campus and community and boost awareness of intersectional issues that affect BIPOC. Firstly, each of our articles, photo essays, poems, podcasts, and graphic pieces are created by students amplifying the voices of marginalized communities in the hopes that their peers may learn and gain cultural awareness. In addition, we engage with our audience and readers to encourage them to submit “pitches” for specific content or lines of inquiry they want to see represented. In this way, we are actively facilitating conversations with the campus and community to bolster knowledge of intersectional topics. 

Feasibility & accountability

Eraced will meet its goals through a $1000 mini-grant. Around $800 total will be used for the first print edition, and we predict a higher sum will be returned producing a net profit. We plan to sell magazines for around $12 to 15 dollars and the proceeds will be directly saved for future magazine print publications and advertisements. 

We estimate $200 to be used for advertisements on various social media platforms to bolster our readership and audience. This method of advertising has proven effective in the past, as a week-long advertisement campaign on Instagram found us about 50 new followers. Expanding this on a larger scale would significantly boost our following. Increasing our readership is vital as a magazine because that expands our reach in individuals reading and viewing our content, and eventually supporting our work by purchasing magazines or donating. 

Throughout this entire process the Eraced team will update our budget advisor and the CSF to depict our promise in using funds responsibly, upholding our goals and values. Eraced is truly committed to accomplishing its mission and goals.  

Following is a budget and timeline breakdown: 

• End of January — End of February: Spend around $200 on advertisements on Instagram that showcase our content to thousands of Instagram followers. 
• End of January: Use about $800 on a down payment for the print magazine, producing roughly 75 magazines. We will stop pre order requests after 75 magazines to ensure we do not exceed the $800 needed for print, which we have already calculated using the printer’s online calculation metric. The pieces for print have been selected and we have established the number of pages of the magazine, as well as the layout. 
• February — March: Sell and distribute magazines. 

We thank you for your time and consideration. 

Best regards,

Eraced Team