The Beacon: 2023

The Altamont Beacon is an
homage to Ida B. Wells-Barnett. An advocate for women’s suffrage and civil
rights, and an investigative reporter who made white mob violence public,
Wells-Barnett was determined to tell the truth about America. For doing so, she
was labeled a ‘slanderous and dirty-minded mulatress’ by The New York Times,
lived under constant threat, and faced continuous efforts to deny her a chance
at a livelihood. But still, she told the truth.[AA1] 

The Altamont Beacon has taken many forms in its brief three-year run, moving from
physical print to a digital medium and from a fixed theme to a broad one.
Despite its many iterations, in my eyes it primarily functions to encourage a
certain kind of thought that goes beyond the very insular and individualistic
concept of academic achievement. It documents both the feelings and attitudes
of Altamont’s students and a form of thought that orients itself towards
understanding and challanging the conditions of society, be they material or
something else entirely. The Beacon welcomes work from 9th-12th
grade students from a wide array of perspectives and subject areas that speak
to social and political phenomena. It promotes a very different kind of work
than the kind typically assigned within the classroom, by providing a semi-formal
space in which students can publish work that celebrates student work based on
content and ideas, rather than strict form. As I leave Altamont it is my hope
that the Beacon will continue to evolve and change while maintaining its core
focus. 

Thus it is my pleasure to introduce
the 2023 issue of the Altamont Beacon. 

- Arthur Anders