Instead of presenting some grandiose discussion on how the News needs to do better with recruiting Black writers and including our voices in the conversation, what it means for a newsroom to actually be diverse and inclusive, or even the intricacies of being a Black student at Yale, I will let the contributors’ works speak on their own. 

In this year’s spissue, read about a student’s experiences with racial profiling during two consecutive Yale-Harvard weekends. Enjoy a poem about a student’s heritage. Browse through photo essays that examine Blackness and comment on professionalism’s roots in anti-Blackness. Read about a student’s experience discovering Black Yale — and much more. 

Thank you to the contributors and everyone at the News that made this issue possible. I would also like to extend a special thank you to Michael Ndubisi, who is the reason I was able to spearhead an issue of this magnitude, and Solomon Adams, who encouraged me to take the risk of leading the special issue. 

This spissue is for us. No strings attached. Take it in, consume it, appreciate it. 

While growing up, my mom would always say, “I can show you better than I can tell you.” So here it is: the Black History Month special issue. 

We welcome and appreciate any feedback about the spissue. Feel free to contact us at editor@yaledailynews.com, or email me directly at the email address below. 

With love, 

Collyn Robinson is the editor for the Black History Month Spissue and serves as the Multimedia Managing Editor for the News. 

Writers

Solomon Adams

Muyi Aghedo

Deja Dunlap

Modupe Karimi

Maya Foster

Aminata Kamara

Madeleine Keenan

Miles Kirkpatrick

Seline Mesfin

Bayan Mohamed

Kemi Omoniyi

Ja’Juan Refuge

Alejandro Rojas

Kayla Samo

Sebastian Ward

Madison Williams

Contributors

Milan Acosta

David Adebogun

Celene Bennett

Joseph Nash

Kyle Shepherd

Illustrators

Milan Acosta

Michelle Foley

Photographers

Elishevlyne Eliason

Maxx Shearod

Photo Editors

Christina Lee

Production and Design

Carter Cashen

Maria Cestero

Laura Ospina

Jane Park

Yash Wadwekar

DEI Chair

Michael Ndubisi

The post Welcome to the News’ special issue commemorating Black History Month! appeared first on Yale Daily News.

When my cousin gave birth just a year ago, she also had a difficult time. Throughout the course of her pregnancy, her doctor told her the baby wasn’t progressing as much as they expected him to, especially with how far along she was in her pregnancy. A few weeks before her due date, they encouraged inducing her labor. She wanted to give the baby some more time to see if he’d be able to grow on his own, but at 39 weeks she decided to go through with being induced. While this may have been the doctor’s professional opinion, complications arose following her induction. Two days later, the baby still wasn’t here. Her doctor attempted to use a Foley Bulb to help her cervix dilate, but she described it as being an extremely uncomfortable process. When this didn’t work and the baby’s heart rate began to drop each time she contracted, she was rushed into an emergency cesarean section. 

Unfortunately, their stories are not a unique experience for many Black women. My mother and sister happen to be among the “luckier” mothers who got to walk out of the hospital with their babies; some Black mothers never leave the hospital, Black women far too often have to beg for doctors to do their job, and when doctors fail to follow through, it can have life-threatening consequences. 

This phenomenon is part of a larger systemic issue that has deep historical roots. For example, dating back to the 19th century, notorious figures in healthcare like J. Marion Sims performed nonconsensual and experimental procedures on Black women to make advancements in the study of gynecology. Enslaved women like “Anarcha,” “Betsey” and “Lucy,” the only three of his subjects he named in his scientific journals, were forced to undergo medical operations, restrained to the operating table and given no anesthesia because it was a commonly held belief that Black women didn’t feel pain in the same way white women did. 

Centuries later, Black women are still being dismissed by medical professionals because of racially biased myths and are facing life-threatening consequences because of it. Even affluent Black women aren’t immune to the effects of medical racism. 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams recalled how doctors and nurses were quick to dismiss her concerns following the birth of her daughter as she described her shortness of breath and history of blood clots. She knew that it might’ve been a sign of something more serious and insisted she needed a CT scan and heparin, and when doctors gave in after she persisted, they found that she did, in fact, have blood clots in her lungs that required life-saving surgery before they traveled to her heart. 

It shouldn’t take Black women to get to a point where they feel like they’re dying, or actually die, for medical professionals to do their job. These women have entrusted their doctors with saving them and instead have to take charge of their own health and save themselves. The legacy of our medical system is marred by its racist roots, and it’s about time they confront and rectify it for the health of all Black women who’ve been victims of it. 

I’m writing this piece not because this story hasn’t already been told or because these experiences are unique to my mother, cousin or countless other Black women whose stories haven’t been told — but I’m going to keep telling this story anywhere I can until someone starts to listen to us. 

JA’JUAN REFUGE is a first-year in Silliman College. Contact her at jajuan.refuge@yale.edu. 

The post REFUGE: Bearing witness: the harrowing reality of Black maternal healthcare appeared first on Yale Daily News.

The books featured were all chosen by organizers of the project for their representations of Black characters, historical figures, culture and stories. Black undergraduate and graduate students volunteered to read the books, and House staff members and student leaders recorded and edited the videos, which featured students reading aloud in the House’s library. The video series, entitled “Reclaiming our Literature,” was released on YouTube on Feb. 5. 

“The main goal is to make these Black stories, topics, events and historical figures more accessible to children in America — exposure of Black history and culture is not only important, but also a basic right of every child in our country,” Hunter Robbins ’27, one of the student readers, said. “It is a right that should not be infringed upon by any school district in our nation, or across the world for that matter.”

This project is part of The House’s larger programming for Black History Month. House Staff Members came up with the theme “Reclaiming Our Lives” for this year’s events and initiatives and wanted Black literature to be a main focus, “given the recent book-bans across the country and the push to eliminate Black history and books featuring Black historical figures from educational spaces,” Dean Timeica Bethel ’11 wrote to the News. 

The American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom released data in September that reported 1,915 documented challenges to unique titles during the first eight months of 2023, a 20 percent increase from the same period in 2022. According to the ALA report, “most of the challenges were to books written by or about a person of color or a member of the LGBTQIA+ community.”

Bethel wrote to the News that increasing representation in children’s books is “essential.”

“As someone who grew up in a low-income community and attended a school with a severe lack of resources, I remember wishing I had books to read featuring people who looked like me. As a former elementary school educator, I know that access to books like the ones we featured in this project is essential,” she said. “For Black children, seeing themselves reflected in the characters can be empowering and affirming. For non-Black children, these texts can still be inspirational and informative, and increase their level of empathy for their Black peers.”

Bethel added that increased access to a variety of texts is necessary for the development of literacy skills for children, and she expressed hope that the videos will serve as an educational resource for teachers and families. 

Steven Shepard ’27, who was a reader for the project, wrote to the News that helping increase Black representation for young children “felt amazing.” 

“As a Floridian, I can say that we didn’t have much academic representation for the African-American community, but when the few instances did show individuals like Neil de Grasse Tyson or ‘Kid President’ Robby Novak, they would stand out and engage me and other Black students,” said Shepard. 

Shepard read the picture book “Ron’s Big Mission” by Rose Blue and Corinne J. Naden, where a nine-year-old Ronald McNair, the future NASA astronaut and physicist, embarks on a mission to obtain his own library card in the segregated world of 1950s South Carolina.

Other books, such as “Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker” and “I am Ruby Bridges,” also focused on the stories of prominent historical figures.

“It was great to contribute to a Black History Month project that attempts to help children learn more about the world through the eyes of Black characters and through their narrative,” reader Christian Daniels ’27 wrote to the News. “I hope [the stories and videos] teach them the value of education and inspire them to be leaders in their community!”

Robbins told the News that his experience of participating in this project also helped him “to understand many issues facing the Black community on their most basic levels.” 

Robbins read the picture book “Abolition is Love,” by Cyrus Marcus Ware and Alannah Fricker and said that the book helped him further understand the meaning of the word “Abolition.”

“I realized that although I knew a lot about the meaning of abolition, there are very basic ideas that are really the foundation of what abolition means — one of those being love,” Robbins said. “I realized it is much easier to grasp these larger societal issues if one focuses on the foundational factors that are being threatened by the issues.”

The project featured 55 books, as the House will celebrate its 55th anniversary this year. 

The post Video Series for Black History Month promotes representation, education appeared first on Yale Daily News.

After securing my ticket, I headed to my next stop, a senior mixer, with hopes that familiar faces — and a bit of alcohol — would ward off my worries. But even after several drinks and a few rounds of beer pong, I continued to feel unsettled. Trying with all my might, no amount of dancing or drunken chatter proved effective in distracting me from my troubled thoughts, so I decided to leave the mixer early to charge up for the remaining nights of partying and celebration to come. While lying in bed, I convinced myself to brush off my irrational thoughts as a one-off mystery to be dealt with after Yale-Harvard and went to sleep. The next day, classes proceeded as normal, and before I knew it, night had fallen upon me once again. As I got ready for the numerous festivities of Yale-Harvard eve, I opted for a more “appropriate” outfit: a plain white UNIQLO tee, navy UNIQLO relaxed ankle pants and black loafers. And surely enough, my outfit eased my worried mind. As the events of the weekend continued to unfold, the distorting lens that was once disrupting the thoughts of my mind began to wear off. Amid running into friends on the street, hopping between mixers, attending a comedy show and jamming to live music, my anxiety was quickly replaced with the feelings of joy that I so strongly desired to feel the night before. The familiar creative and social sphere of college reminded me of the positive parts of this campus that I most frequently correlated with the idea of Yale in my mind. Reminiscing on this very fruitful Friday night, I waltzed back to my dorm, excited for The Game the next morning. I set my alarm, did my nightly routine and closed my eyes in order to grab as much shuteye as possible —

Beep! Beep! Beep! 

Waking up at 7:47 am in an abrupt panic, I scrambled to get ready as I was already running late to my first social event before The Game. Luckily, my outfit had been in my mind all week. It was a safe and familiar choice that I had worn in some variation each year before: gray Nike sweatpants, a navy blue Crew Doggo hoodie, black Ugg boots and the UNIQLO puffer again. I grabbed my phone and darted out the door to another senior mixer where all of my friends were. After taking several shots and drinking a rancid combination of Fireball and coffee, I had just enough stimulation to actively engage in typical darty activities. 

While dancing, I couldn’t help but notice that everyone at said mixer was wearing jeans. Though it was a trivial detail that I would never have noticed in years beforehand, the thought was almost enough to reignite the forgotten anxieties of my mind. However, these thoughts were swiftly overtaken after realizing that I left my ticket in my dorm room. Having to walk back to my room, I once again perceived the odd stares of students around campus as I progressed towards Silliman. But without focusing too much on these glances, I continued on. 

Charting up the four flights of steps to my room, I grabbed the ticket off of my desk and dashed out. Halfway down the stairs, the rather recent picture of dancing within a sea of blue jeans entered my mind, so I ran back up and changed into jeans. I then went to High Street where I ran into a friend, who very conveniently was calling an Uber to the Yale Bowl. We carpooled there, and the rest of the day was a blissful blur. I was cold for a bit. I felt slightly dehydrated. Yale won! I stormed the field. My friends and I piled onto buses back to campus; nutrient-deprived, I met up with another friend at the Berkeley College dining hall for dinner. We napped. I witnessed yet another Yale victory from the women’s volleyball team and, exhausted, returned to my bed to knock out. On that day, the bubble of Yale lived up to its namesake and created a force field, impenetrable to the outside plagues of the world. 

Still a bit hungry from the eventful day, I placed a DoorDash order and reflected on the highlights of my Yale-Harvard experience. Completely detached from the emotions I felt at the beginning of the weekend, it became apparent to me at this moment that my original fears and anxieties were nothing more than irrational manifestations of something unconnected to this specific weekend. But maybe, I had spoken — or thought — too soon. 

After an hour or so, I went downstairs to pick up the food from my Dasher. As I walked across the street to meet the man delivering my food, I couldn’t help but notice an odd interaction. I saw two college-aged Black women shivering in what seemed to be party clothes standing outside of the gates of Timothy Dwight College, or TD. It appeared that these two girls were engaging in conversation with a security guard stationed within the gates. I could not tell how long these girls had been standing outside, so I naively assumed their situation would work itself out. At first, I grabbed my food and was prepared to return to my room. Whatever those girls were dealing with was none of my concern. Still, I could not shake this gut feeling that something was off. 

I walked to the gate and attempted to swipe myself into TD. As I walked in, the security guard then repositioned himself in front of the entrance and stated, “Only he can come in since he has a Yale ID.” I then turned around towards the girls and was met with vivid facial expressions of desperation and embarrassment. In that instant, I was instantaneously transported backwards by a year and one day.

I still recall the exact outfit I was wearing on Nov. 18, 2022: University Blue Jordan 4s, khaki cargo pants, an Atlanta Braves graphic tee and a black UNIQLO puffer jacket. I was returning from an MIT frat party to Harvard’s campus, where I was staying with a friend. Because I did not have swipe access, the friend I was staying with suggested that I try to have another Harvard student swipe me up because she thought it would be quicker than her coming down to get me. 

Knowing that Harvard and Yale paired different “sister” residential colleges together for hosting purposes, I thought nothing of this request and was sure that someone would be kind enough to let me in. After making it past the initial door, I then lingered in the lobby hoping to get a student to grant me swipe access to the elevator. Shortly after, a group of white and non-Black girls entered the lobby. Waiting for them to get within proximity of the elevator, I kindly asked, “Hey, sorry to bother you. I am a student from Yale, staying with my friend. Would you be willing to swipe me up to the fifth floor?” 

With blank stares and confused faces, the girls agreed, and as I walked towards the elevator, expecting them to follow me, they instead turned around and exited the building. Unsure of what just happened, I attempted to call the friend who was hosting me. But unfortunately during that brief encounter, my phone died, and so I was trapped downstairs until the next student arrived. Waiting around, I then tried calling the elevator again by pressing the button. The doors to the elevator then opened, and to my surprise, I was met with the faces of the very same group of girls who had just ditched me. Unbeknownst to me, there was a basement entrance by which these girls entered the residential college in an attempt to circumvent interacting with/helping me. I hopped onto the elevator, and requested to be swiped up again. 

But this time, I was met with a more direct response. The elevator door closed, and what seemed to be the ringleader of the group — let’s call them the racist regime — asked, “What college do you live in at Yale?” 

“Silliman,” I complied. 

“And who are you staying with?” she followed up. 

I answered with my friend’s name.  

“What floor does she live on?” she quickly asked in response. I provided her with the desired information, but still none of it was enough. 

I followed up by once again asking her to grant me swipe access, and she stated in response, “We’re gonna need to see your Yale ID first.” 

That was my final straw. 

Without being so explicit in the less eloquent — but necessary — ways I communicated it, I proceeded to call each and every one of the girls out for their bigotry. I explained that they should be ashamed of themselves, and to top everything off, I pulled out my ID and showed them the proof they so aggressively requested. The elevator fell silent, and one of the members of the racist regime tried to explain themselves, but I abruptly cut them off before they could get a word out. 

They swiped me up. The elevator rose to my floor, and I exited enraged. 

Fast forward to the night of The Game 2023, and this same tense feeling of anger had returned. As I looked into these faces of the young girls in front of me, it was clear what I needed to do. I asked the girls if they needed help, and in unison, they nodded their heads saying yes. In response, I guided them towards the other gate of Timothy Dwight on Grove Street while they caught me up to speed on their interactions with the security guard. The girls said they had been out there for roughly thirty minutes before I arrived, and the security guard, like the racist regime, refused to offer any support or assistance. Instead, the guard continued actively posing as a barrier to ensure the girls’ safety. Unfortunately, the girls’ host was not answering his phone, and the security guard asked the girls for their host’s name, entryway and explanation for being outside TD. But just like the regime at Harvard, the guard took no action to put the provided information to use. 

While the girls continued to update me, I FaceTimed my friend who was luckily still awake and a FroCo in TD, and after filling her in, she offered to come down to help. By the time the girls and I had reached the courtyard, in classic Western showdown style all parties involved were now looking at each other in a triangular formation. It was me and the visiting girls, my FroCo friend and the security guard.

 As the security guard approached us, he asked, “So, you’re just gonna try to go around me, huh?” 

I replied, “Yes, because you’re being racist!” 

Almost encroaching well within the security guard’s personal space, my friend quickly intervened and pushed me away from the guard. My friend then attempted to take the visiting girls to their entryway, but the security guard tried to once again physically block all of them. Walking around him, they made it to their entryway, and my friend and I waited for his departure in the stairwell one entryway over. After a few minutes, he finally left, and I let out a sigh of relief. All the pent up worries that I held were very much rational, and in just two minutes, my entire Yale-Harvard experience was ruined. All of the positive memories of this so-called “celebratory” weekend were stained by the dormant emotions from previous traumatic instances that were re-realized through forced exposure “therapy.” 

The rest of that night proceeded pretty mundanely. I ate my food, then went to bed shortly after. But the implications and thoughts of that night have lasted long after. To this day, I have developed severe anxiety while around any of Yale’s police, whether it be official security guards or students who also engage in policing others through less formal means. I no longer feel comfortable walking through this campus in ways that I did prior to, but most impactfully, both incidents occupy a significant amount of space in my mind. Questions surrounding identical scenarios with alternative racial compositions continue to bounce around in my head. Thoughts of the ways in which white people can weaponize ignorance and incompetence for the sake of plausible deniability have caused me to muse endlessly. 

But the question that lingers the most was one posed by the security guard. As I walked towards him accusing him of racist behavior, the security guard immediately got defensive and asked, “How am I being racist?” I’m not sure why this question still baffles me to this day. I honestly think it is because the security guard lacked the ability to answer this question himself. His incompetence and inability to recognize said ineptitude raises so many concerns about how effectively and comprehensively he is doing his job if the safety of Black students is not considered in his set of people worth protecting. Or moreover, if he genuinely — and very ignorantly — believes he is doing job effectively. 

How am I being racist? In the midst of both incidents, I was unable to organize, let alone verbalize, a well-formed explanation of what made the Yale security guard and Harvard’s racist regime, well, racist. While running purely on the hormones associated with fight or flight, all I knew was what I felt. But now, I think I can formally answer this question: from start to end, the visiting Black girls and I were seen as threats first, (sub)human second. Part of me wants to justify the security guard and the racist regime’s actions as a consideration of broader security concerns. Maybe they really were concerned for their safety or the safety of other students. But, any attempt to rationalize this explanation is short-lived. See, in both incidents, the girls and I should have also been included in that group of students whom the security guard and the racist regime were so “concerned” about. As students ourselves, our safety was at risk, but the preconceived notions and stereotypes that were ascribed to us superseded any potential humanity simultaneously afforded to us such that the security of only a subset of demographics were consciously validated. Instead of being empathized with, the visiting girls and I were barred entry into our homes for the night in order to ensure the protection of other students. 

How am I being racist? If I were to be asked this question again, my only response to the security guard would be a question of my own: what about these girls made them unworthy of the same level of care, consideration and safety that was actively being enforced and afforded to all other students during that incident, and more broadly speaking, that weekend?

The post Huck Farvard and Yuck Fale appeared first on Yale Daily News.

So, it’s no wonder I feel lost.

It’s no wonder that I have found joy in discovery,

A rediscovery, 

Reclaiming really, of a heritage

That has been muddled by inaccuracies and silence.

No acknowledgment — propaganda.

My family — living, though paradoxically,

Was convinced it did not exist.

Lost in misinformation, I’m grabbing for a flashlight…

Constantly, fighting back.

It’s encoded, in my genes. 

I know this because behavior, its genetic,

On edge, anxious, effed up…

It’s no wonder.

Chains. Waves. Tears. And whips. 

Memories with voices that forcibly shout Move!

Deconstruct me, and you’ll see.

Here, there, and perhaps even there…

I’ll never know,

My mind occupied.

By a demanding other — without negotiation, 

I am here. But I am aware.

The post I.N.W. (It’s No Wonder) appeared first on Yale Daily News.

“Service plays a big role within my life, within my walk,” Bryon told the News. 

Brooks added that he is guided by the Zulu proverb Ubuntu, which translates to “I am because we are.” 

Brooks, an educator and activist, hails from Detroit, Michigan. He was raised by his great-grandparents and attributes much of who he is today to the family that raised him. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Ferris State University and a master of arts in Diversity and Social Justice in Higher Education from the University of Michigan. Before coming to Yale he worked as a Community Engagement Coordinator, Anti-Racist Program Facilitator & Instructor at the University of Michigan and as Assistant Director of Residential Life at the College of Wooster. 

As an educator, he worked to create anti-racist and social justice education and curriculum across the state of Michigan and at the University of Michigan, creating leadership development and student engagement curricula. He has experience as a teacher and professor and is also a licensed minister. Faith has played an important role in his life, Brooks said.

Brooks is also the founder of a nonprofit organization called From the Hood For the Hood, which is dedicated to fighting homelessness and promoting community engagement throughout Michigan and the country. Brooks himself was unhoused for part of his college career and started the non-profit as a way to support those going through similar experiences. 

Because of his extensive non-profit work, Brooks was asked to lead the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service for the Biden Administration and received the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award from President Joe Biden. 

At Yale, Brooks said he is excited to “pour into both the current and next generation of change-makers.” He added that he is a firm believer that young people can be the change they seek in the world, something that he emphasized at the “Meet the AD Lunch” hosted on Feb. 17. He spoke about wanting to empower students to be their best selves, saying “oftentimes people want to wait for the next Dr. King, the next Malcolm” but that people can be the change that they want to see. Brooks said he believes that everyone has the power to “dismantle systems of inequity and replace them with equity, love, and justice” by being their best selves. 

Brooks was drawn to Yale for several reasons, primarily because of the students. He said he saw “the opportunity to pour into” the students and our energy. He also wanted to step outside of his comfort zone and be “poured into” as well, both career-wise and personally. He shared that the Af-Am House’s “Reclaiming Our Expressions” Black Arts Showcase in particular warmed his heart because he was able to see students being “unapologetically themselves.” Brooks shared his own talents and creativity with the Af-Am House Community at the Showcase, where he performed a spoken-word poem and a selection of music on the piano. 

Brooks said that he also loves how the Afro-American Cultural Center is centered specifically on the Black and African Diasporas and has been enjoying his first weeks settling in. Since the Af-Am House is a cultural center for Black people rather than a multicultural center, it helps him feel like he’s “walking more within his purpose,” he said. 

He shared that the Af-Am House already feels like a home away from home for him and a safe haven for him to be “unapologetically me.” 

Brooks has an open-door policy, inviting students to come introduce themselves to him whenever he is in the office. He said that he is open to hearing any and all new ideas that students have and hopes to amplify student voices across campus. 

Alejandro Rojas ’26 said that he loves “how available and visible Byron has already been in our community” and that he cannot wait to get to know Brooks more. 

Brooks is also excited about ideas of his own, including a book club that he hopes to start titled Radical Reflections — a space where students would come together to read and discuss literature from the African Diaspora. 

For Stephanie Owusu ’24, Brooks “lives up to that excitement with the energy he brings.”

“[I noticed] an excitement about him coming to campus,” Owusu said.

Owusu said she especially appreciated how Brooks introduced himself through his art at the Black History Month Showcase. She said she hopes that he will continue to “bring populations that we might not see as much at the House” and that he has already brought positive energy.

The Afro-American Cultural Center is located at 211 Park St.

The post PROFILE: Byron Brooks starts as Assistant Director of the House appeared first on Yale Daily News.

Alternate Universe is a comic book store that has served readers in Connecticut for over 25 years. The New Haven store opened in 1995, and in 2005, co-owners Joseph Stinson and Erik Yacko decided to expand their business by opening a second location in Milford. Since then, Stinson has operated the New Haven location while Yacko oversees the Milford location. The store has formed a community with regular customers as well as some new Yale students every semester. 

“With comic books, there’s an ebb and flow. When a new TV show or new movie comes out, there’ll be a few new readers, but most people have been collecting for a while,” Stinson said. “With Yale, we get a little turnover every four years because new people come in and begin getting comics, our store becoming their favorite shop.”

The extended history of Alternate Universe, however, begins in the 1980s. In the 80s, Alternate Universe was originally named Paperback Trader. The comic book store was then bought by a different company called Dream Factory, which operated as a chain of stores throughout Connecticut. Dream Factory then became Moondogs, where Stinson and Yacko were working at the time. After Moondogs went out of business, Stinson and Yacko took over the store in 1996.

It was through Dream Factory that Stinson and Yacko befriended Rich Casiglio, who loves comic books and has worked with them his whole life. In 2005, during their expansion into Milford, the owners contacted Casiglio and hired him as an employee of Alternate Universe in New Haven. In his day-to-day working at Alternate Universe, he takes care of customers and restocks the store. 

As an employee, Casiglio recognizes the familiar faces of Alternate Universe’s loyal shoppers. 

“The majority of comic book store customers are regulars. You see them weekly or bi-weekly,” said Casiglio. 

A handful of Yale students frequent the store weekly, too, he said. 

With a steady number of regulars who patronize the store, Alternate Universe does not prioritize advertising. 

“​​It’s more so that people find us more than we find people because us advertising isn’t going to turn anybody into a comic book fan that isn’t already one,” Stinson said. 

The store has found comfort in its narrower reach, however. Though serving a tight niche, Alternate Universe offers a wide array of comic books for its loyal customers. The store carries indie, action, superhero, slice of life and manga selections. 

Regulars like Mikai Chamber appreciate the selections available at the store. Chambers has lived in New Haven for a decade and has been shopping at Alternate Universe for three years. Here, Chambers has found a home for his love of comic books, which began in his youth with Spider-Man and has since expanded into the indie genre. 

“They’ve got it all. From trade paperbacks, omnibuses, hardcovers, back issues – whatever you need,” Chambers told the news. 

Looking ahead, Stinson hopes to make room for more comics now that they’ve maxed out their space. 

According to Stinson, the possibility of opening a third location has been discussed, but remains an idea for now. 

“The one thing I want to try to do is focus on what we carry a little bit more and start getting some ancillary items out just so we have more room for comics,” Stinson said.

Alternate Universe is open every day on 1181 Chapel St.

The post Alternate Universe keeps comic books super in New Haven appeared first on Yale Daily News.