Rake

The Rake, first published by the Rake Collective in February 1980 with the support of Resource Center at Brown, contained this opening statement: “The idea for the RAKE was conceived during a demonstration at the statehouse protesting R. I. state trooper violence at Seabrook. A few people there discussed the lack of an area newspaper that advocated various alternatives for social change. We talked it up with some friends, and set a first meeting date for early November. As it turned out, most of the seven people who came were members of an affinity group that went to Seabrook or lived in Milhouse.... Since our first meeting the collective has grown to over twenty people.... The RAKE is here to encourage collective action by challenging people’s minds with new thoughts and new ideas to increase their awareness of the world around them. We shall present a range of diverse and sometimes conflicting viewpoints concerning social change.” In 1988, the “new and improved” Rake sought input from its readers, both students and Brown workers, with this invitation, “You know what’s wrong with Brown. So tell us what’s up and let our investigators do the muck Rake-ing. After a brief absence, the Rake resumed publication in December 1991 as “the principle independent campus journal focused on critical debate and news about progressive politics on and off the campus.”