Welcome to the page of The Beaven Bulwark at Holy Cross.
A foreword to our project from Max Cote '26, Founder
Activism has a place here at Holy Cross—as a student body, we’re often easily placated and politically unmotivated. We have occasional bouts of activism, sure—a small protest there, a town hall here. What we lack is a continuity of activism—regular contributions to the campus environment to push for a better life for people of all creeds, races, orientations and identities. To that end, the Bulwark is Holy Cross’ first social justice-oriented newspaper. What does this mean? Well, Holy Cross has a lot of papers—The Spire, The College Street Journal, Her, and so on—and none dedicated to the pursuit of social justice topics. Our mission is to provide a platform for leftist discourse at HC where none has previously existed. Our team of editors and writers come from a wide variety of backgrounds, majors and political positions, and we solicit works from outside our organization to provide our campus with a proper voice for these issues. Our members work with the SGA, JEBI, Pride, Pax Christi, the SSJC and others to form a coalition of activist voices. By regularly producing these examples of the student voice—in the form of current events pieces, op-eds, essays and even artistic works like film reviews or cartoons—we hope to foster an environment of discourse that promotes activism on our campus.
It’s easy to feel hopeless. Every day we look at our social media feeds and our news apps and hear about some new tragedy enacted. Our government all but captured under the rise of American white nationalism, fascism and criminality. It’s terrifying. But the only thing more terrifying to me is the idea of doing nothing in the face of it.
Hence, The Beaven Bulwark.
A continuation from Ian Sykes '28, Head Designer.
As a new publication, we are still looking to find our identity, both as a publication and in terms of how we exist on campus. With that in mind, approach our work with patience; there may be typos, formatting errors, and otherwise. Nevertheless, just know that what you are witnessing is the genesis of something far greater than ourselves—far greater than a one-off project, or an idea from office hours, or something whipped together quickly during Thanksgiving break. This is truly something—an earnest attempt to do something that matters. This is the Beaven Bulwark.
No massive donor networks. No faculty submissions. No huge endorsements. Just student voices and grassroots activism at its heart.
The Bulwark is one way we can speak out and bear witness to injustice, and to advocate passionately for love. As we find our identity with the Bulwark, think about what you feel called to do with what you’ve learned. Consider yourself lucky to see the genesis of something far bigger than you, and consider participating in it yourself in your next issue. Feel its vibrance. Read its love. Enjoy our site!