On March 6, 2026, I had the opportunity to present my research on The Rag, an Austin underground newspaper, at the St. Michael's College Undergraduate Research Colloquium. My research focused on the history of the paper, and its revivals in 2006 and 2025. I was particularly interested in the 2025 revival, by students at the University of Texas at Austin, after governer Greg Abbott enstated restrictions on protest and freedom of speech following protests on the war in Gaza. The political and social climate that motivated this revival closely mirrored that of the original 

publication, which was founded in response to growing social movements, such as the anti-Vietnam War movement, as well as the limitations and restrictions in the traditional press. This revival was a rare cultural event, not only because it was one of the only underground newspapers of the 60s to be revived, but also because of the decision to publish the newspaper physically, as opposed to digitally or through social media. This decision was intentional, allowing the publication to circumvent the algorithms, shadow banning, and echo chambers of the internet.