mission | onyx
More than just a gem, onyx has a rich historic usage as a medium from which pottery and sculptures were made.
Here at onyx, we aim to exist as an authentic creative medium from which Black artists, writers and creatives can authentically shape and form their work.
Our vision is to provide a long-term publishing infrastructure that combats the history of suppression and devaluation of Black creative artistry within mainstream publishing. Our mission to provide an alternative and sustainble community-led creative space that authentically champions new and emerging talented Black creatives through print and publication. Our goal is to generate creative publication opportunities and event spaces for marginalised Black creatives to gather and build long-lasting communal frameworks for communal creativity.
We are dedicated to supporting new and emerging Black creative talent, espeically with the realising of their full potential regarding artistic works in its capacity to affect social change.
Jessica Fatoye reading her poetry published in II:STIR at our annual launch, Oxford, 2019.
team | onyx
journey | onyx
Onyx Magazine began as a dream in Theophina Gabriel's student bedroom at Oxford in 2017. His vision was to launch a creative publication that would be filled with poetry, short stories, artwork, and fresh think pieces. It would be a publication that would unapologetically platform creative Black writers and artists whose work continues to barely scratch the surface of the publishing world.
Our founder was then joined by Deputy Editor and previous Birmingham Young Poet Laureate Serena Arthur, and together they reached out to expand and build the very first Team Onyx; a dedicated team of eight young Black femmes all studying at the University of Oxford.
Over the course of two years, Team '18-'19 rallied to raise over £4,000, accumulate 88 pages of content, and publish 1,000 professionally printed copies of our first edition, I: DAWN. The first edition was distributed free of charge so that the magazine could remain as accessible as possible. I: DAWN was met with immense support at our debut launch event at the Oxford Foundry in October 2018 and was attended by over 200 supporters. Since then, our first edition has been distributed internationally to over five different countries and across multiple universities across the UK. We have been stocked in Blackwell's, and copies of our first edition reside in all 44 colleges of the University of Oxford, where Onyx was founded.
Team ‘19-’20 (from left to right): Oluwakemi Ogunbiade, Ebubechi Okpalugo, Theophina Gabriel, Cheyenne Eugene, Reem Ahmed. Oxford, 2019.
I: DAWN Launch Party, Oxford, 2018.
Team '19-'20 picked up right where our founding Team left off, winning the magazine's very first award at the beginning of 2019, as well as securing over £5,000 worth of funding for the second edition.
II:STIR built on the thematic arc of I:DAWN; the first movements made after waking. A smaller team in formation but just as mighty, Team '19-'20's ventures propelled Onyx across the UK and into places such as Parliament and 10 Downing Street, where our Editor-In-Chief was called to give a consultation on diversity within the creative industry.
We launched our second edition in November 2019 to a sold-out event that included live steel pan and performances from our published Black creatives.
Team ‘20 - ‘21 formed in May 2020 and saw the Team quadruple from the previous year. Working completely virtually and through the pandemic Team ‘20 - ‘21 expanded the efforts, increasing distribution links and more than doubling the magazine’s print run and support base. They worked tirelessly to produce III:TRANSCEND, which launched in December 2020.
Founder & Editor-In-Chief : Theophina Gabriel
Deputy Editor : Serena Arthur
Art & Fashion Editor : Alyssa Crabb
Film & Theatre : Oluchi Ezeh
History & Politics : Sascha DaCosta-Hinds
Lifestyle & Culture : Inès Bonneau
Poetry & Fiction : Sascha DaCosta-Hinds
Business Director : Zeynab Alwi
Publicity Director : Jordan Greenwood
Founder & Editor-In-Chief : Theophina Gabriel
Deputy Editor : Reem Ahmed
Art & Fashion Editor : Ebubechi Okpalugo
Lifestyle & Culture : Cheyenne Eugene
Poetry & Fiction : Oluwakemi Agunbiade
Founder & Editor-In-Chief : Theophina Gabriel
Deputy Editor (Editorial) : Ajebowale Roberts
Deputy Editor (Non-Editorial) : Ebubechi Okpalugo
Art & Fashion
Editor : Tamera Ama
Sub-editor : Ella Lebeau
Film & Theatre
Editor : Taiwo Ava Oyebola
Sub-editor : Sade Clarke
History & Politics
Editor : Kaeshelle Rianne
Sub-editor : Sophia Harari
Lifestyle & Culture
Editor : Maryam Rimi
Sub-editors : Cheyenne Eugene, Samantha Oguna
Poetry & Fiction
Editor : Ebruba Abel-Unokan
Sub-editors : Jessica Fatoye, Rosa Arthur
Business Director : Oluwakemi Agunbiade
Creative Director : Skai Campbell
Marketing Director : Emmanuel Omodeinde
Publicity Director : Laila March