HBCU Spotlight: The A&T Register Posted by Kelley Lash on Thursday, March 8, 2018 · Leave a Comment

Many college newspapers are proud of their histories. Many believe their papers have covered important moments in their college community. But some college newspapers literally covered pivotal moments in American history, sometimes without knowing just how important those moments are.

The A&T Register at North Carolina A&T was at the center of the civil rights movement with their coverage of the A&T Four. While the rest of the country referred to them as the Greensboro Four, for students at the A&T Register, they were classmates.

Patrick Battle, the current editor in chief, said the legacy of the university was part of the reason he chose A&T and then chose to work at the student newspaper.

“When I learned the history behind the university and its notable alumni, including the A&T Four, I wanted to be a part of the history,” Patrick, a senior in journalism & mass communication, said.

He was first introduced to the paper when a staff photographer gave a pitch to his class about attending a contributor’s meeting. These meetings are for anyone interested in pitching ideas to the newspaper staff or even joining.

Patrick said he believes there’s something special about working at a student media outlet at an HBCU.

“I believe that we stand out because the history behind our publication,” he said. “We have been publishing dating back to 1894. Our campus is predominately black so our content has to reflect our student body. In addition, it allows us to have a more diverse staff.”

What also stands out is the unconventional section titles the Register uses: sports is The Score, news is The Yard.

“Here at The A&T Register we believe in innovation,” Patrick said. “We want every word, graphic, and photo to attract the eye. We believe in creativity which developed the names of our sections. Our section names have been in place for quite some time now. At least ten years.”

In addition to just being different from media outlets at predominately white institutions, Patrick said he’s proud of the civil rights stories his paper gets to cover.

“Last year we covered the Willie Grimes incident that occurred in the 1960s,” he said. “We’ve covered various marches around campus. Every year we publish a ‘February One’ edition that reflects on the A&T Four. This year, April Ryan came to campus and was the keynote speaker of our annual celebration. She directed her words to the youth, describing how they organized and fought for our rights in the 60s and how we can do the same through social media. That’s the story that I am most proud of.”