Letter From the New EICs
BY MICHELLE GONG '21 AND ANUSHKA WANI '21
This isn’t how we wanted to start our story at all. When we got the email saying that we would be the new EICs, we cheered and looked forward to hoarding Ms. Hammond’s snacks, chilling with our staff, and improving The Spectrum to reach new heights.
Suddenly we were hit with 2020. Stuck at home, there was little we could do but helplessly watch the world outside unfold. Watch as the pandemic spreads and numbers rise every day. Watch as years of systemic racism unfold on social media and on the streets. But we need to do more than simply watch; we have the responsibility to use our outlet to speak up and, as our former EICs put it, dig deeper.
If the last few weeks have taught us anything, it is that we can’t stay quiet, passively observing what goes on around us. Students at AB each have unique voices, and it’s important for all of them to be heard if we are to incite real change. Everyone should be able to actively contribute to tough conversations; thus, we hope that The Spectrum can be a platform for silenced individuals to find their voices and for others in our community to educate themselves.
The Spectrum motto is E cinerebus et ad astra: Out of the ashes and into the stars. This year literally started ablaze with Australia’s wildfires, but instead of leaving the ashes of 2020 behind, with the intention to simply move on and forget, we will sift through them to reexamine what we’ve done this past year and how we can improve. We cannot tell the narrative alone—the only way we can reach the stars is through inclusion and understanding.
There are many larger newspapers and organizations, but it’s still important for us at The Spectrum to emphasize that Black Lives Matter, and that our telling of its stories matters too. Although we are limited to a virtual space, our priorities remain the same. As we are handed the torch, we can’t help but thank Serena, Kirtana, and Anjali for all that they’ve done. We hope they’ll continue contributing to the narrative as they venture into our rapidly changing world. We know they’ll make it a better one.
Signing in,
Anushka and Michelle
Suddenly we were hit with 2020. Stuck at home, there was little we could do but helplessly watch the world outside unfold. Watch as the pandemic spreads and numbers rise every day. Watch as years of systemic racism unfold on social media and on the streets. But we need to do more than simply watch; we have the responsibility to use our outlet to speak up and, as our former EICs put it, dig deeper.
If the last few weeks have taught us anything, it is that we can’t stay quiet, passively observing what goes on around us. Students at AB each have unique voices, and it’s important for all of them to be heard if we are to incite real change. Everyone should be able to actively contribute to tough conversations; thus, we hope that The Spectrum can be a platform for silenced individuals to find their voices and for others in our community to educate themselves.
The Spectrum motto is E cinerebus et ad astra: Out of the ashes and into the stars. This year literally started ablaze with Australia’s wildfires, but instead of leaving the ashes of 2020 behind, with the intention to simply move on and forget, we will sift through them to reexamine what we’ve done this past year and how we can improve. We cannot tell the narrative alone—the only way we can reach the stars is through inclusion and understanding.
There are many larger newspapers and organizations, but it’s still important for us at The Spectrum to emphasize that Black Lives Matter, and that our telling of its stories matters too. Although we are limited to a virtual space, our priorities remain the same. As we are handed the torch, we can’t help but thank Serena, Kirtana, and Anjali for all that they’ve done. We hope they’ll continue contributing to the narrative as they venture into our rapidly changing world. We know they’ll make it a better one.
Signing in,
Anushka and Michelle
