When I joined Michigan in Color over one year ago, I wrote about my excitement to contribute to a space that allows people from marginalized communities to finally have a voice at an institution like The Michigan Daily. To me, this was and is necessary because I recognize the immense power that stories can have. And only by showcasing these stories can we move forward in bridging the divides on our campus. However, what I didn’t expect from this space was the personal growth I’ve had over the past 12 months.
My time with MiC has introduced me to a host of people, communities and organizations I wasn’t familiar with before joining the section. I’ve gotten to interview student leaders and faculty members, and had the opportunity to cover speakers and events on campus. When West Quad Residence Hall was hit with racist vandalizations early last semester, we were able to serve as a platform for the students who were personally attacked. Experiences like those have opened my eyes to the reality of racism on our campus and have reaffirmed my desire to fight these inequities.
Though MiC has changed a lot since our founding over four years ago — and Ashley and I have big plans for this upcoming year — we strive to reflect MiC’s core values of inclusivity and bravery in the work we do every day. I’m forever grateful for the guidance from the editors who came before me (our founders, Toni and Demario, and anyone I’ve forgotten), the ones I’ve worked with over the past year (Tanya, Sivanthy, Halimat and Adam), and the new group of assistant and senior editors we’ve assembled for this upcoming year.