About
Lefty's Last Cry is a progressive student blog based at the University of Notre Dame that covers local, state, and national political stories with a college student perspective.
Mission Statement
The mission of Lefty's Last Cry is to provide an independent, powerful voice for progressive college students. In our efforts, we recognize that our ability to empower young people is incompatible with any formal affiliation to a particular university, business, or party.
Background
Lefty's Last Cry was launched in June 2008 by Henry Vasquez as a personal blog to write about politics while he lived in Washington, DC. Henry was working as an intern at the Democratic National Committee (DNC), during the summer that preceded the 2008 General Election. In the Fall of 2008, Notre Dame student Bill Sanchez joined the blog as co-editor of Lefty's Last Cry.
Starting in March 2009, Lefty's brought on board an assortment of new writers from around the state of Indiana. The following schools currently belong to the Lefty's Network:
Henry, Bill, and Brendan retired their posts in May 2010. Lefty's was prepared to transition to new leadership. Subsequently, in May 2010, Chris Rhodenbaugh was elected Editor-In-Chief of Lefty's Last Cry.
The Name "Lefty's Last Cry"
Many people have asked where Lefty's got its name. When people hear the name, they don't immediately think Notre Dame liberals. In some ways, that's actually perfect. Because Lefty's isn't only about Notre Dame. ND is where Lefty's began, but its scope is national, and its writers come from all over the country.
Lefty's Last Cry was a name that was inspired by the intense political atmosphere in Washington, D.C. "Lefty's" tells you the blog is liberal. In the distant past, news was communicated by a "town crier" that stood in the public square and announced the news aloud. Therefore, "Lefty's" + "Last Cry" is a way to say, this blog is the most recent political news update that Lefty has made. The "cries" used to be random rants and personal experiences, but evolved into more sophisticated posts.
The beauty of the name, as some of you have seen, is the Lefty's Last Cry (LLC) can be shortened easily to simply "Lefty's" and its community can be addressed as "Lefties." Another interesting effect of the name is the tendency for people to refer to Henry or Bill as "Lefty" himself. The reality is, that "Lefty" is everyone, all of the writers and staff. Lefty is enigmatic and amorphous. And Lefty's Last Cry is a collaboration of many viewpoints and experiences. We are all "Lefty" and these are all of our "Cries."
Disclaimer
Lefty's Last Cry® is an unofficial student blog and in no way is it affiliated with the University of Notre Dame or the Democratic Party. Lefty's does not represent the opinion of the University of Notre Dame or the Notre Dame College Democrats.
For a little more history...
View old layouts from our infancy here
