Its name is Swahili for “freedom” – a word that’s meaning and value are daily discussed, debated and even died for all around the world.

Uhuru: The Freedom Magazine is a magazine on campus that seeks to bring into focus the myriad of issues relating to freedom that different cultural groups face as a part of the Ames community.

This month, Uhuru will celebrate the release of its 10th issue by hosting a party in which – as in the magazine itself – individual student expression will be honored.

Robert Taylor, junior in sociology, and Andrew Flattery, senior in management, will perform at the release party at Caf‚ Santa Fe from 10 p.m. to midnight Wednesday. They will showcase original work – poetry and music, respectively.

Taylor, who goes by the stage name of W.O.R.D.S. (Wisdom Only Revises Determined Souls), said he uses his life experiences in his work as a testimony to how far he’s come.

“Hopefully, someone will hear or read my poetry – and just basically understand where I’m coming from – and they can put that in their life experiences, and they can know that they can overcome any challenges in their life as well,” Taylor said.

Taylor said he appreciates Uhuru’s role on campus in acknowledging minorities who are making a positive influence, and he especially appreciated that role when he saw an article in a past issue about restoring the Black Cultural Center.

When he was later approached to be featured in Uhuru’s “Expressions” section for his poetry, he said he felt honored, as he does now with the opportunity to present his creative work in public.

“Basically, it’s like showing respect [to me],” Taylor said.

Flattery said his interactions thus far with Uhuru have been somewhat special, because of the publication’s focus on multicultural issues, which have been new territory to someone from the predominately white city of Fort Dodge.

Although Flattery said he doesn’t specifically write about multicultural issues, he does believe the material in his songs, which deal with relationships, are universal in nature.

“The magazine [can] bring all sorts of people together,” Flattery said. “I think my music can do that.”

Teresa Krug, senior in journalism and mass communication and current editor in chief of Uhuru, said she is proud of the ways in which the magazine has, in fact, brought people together this year.

“Rather than just being a voice through our publications, we’ve also held a forum discussing the swastika and its many different views around the world,” she said.

Uhuru was also a sponsor of the got ignorance? campaign and participated in ISCORE, Krug said.

Krug is finishing her time as Uhuru’s editor in chief and handing the baton off to Al Southers, junior in pre-journalism and mass communication.

As the magazine moves forward in its work on campus, Southers said he wishes for it to further incorporate the voices of the wider Ames community.

Southers said concerns such as Ames becoming too commercial are the sorts of things he wants to bring up more in Uhuru, so the wider community plays more of a role in the discussions that take place in the publication and on campus.

“We’re still going to continue talking about things that affect students; Uhuru is always for the students, [but] I want more community involvement,” Southers said.

In general, he said, students and other members of the community should know they are welcome to “get involved with Uhuru.”

Since Southers wants to push the magazine into more of an advocacy role, people can submit their concerns about current issues to [email protected].

“Just talk to us,” Southers said.