To the Editor:
We will not be seeking an endorsement from The Brown Daily Herald given The Herald’s history with people of color and marginalized groups on campus. Through disregarding Native communities at Brown by giving a platform for racist messaging in the name of the “freedom of expression,” exploiting narratives of students of color and low-income students and misconstruing and falsely manufacturing narratives by inaccurately quoting students on important issues, The Herald has misused the trust of marginalized communities, and therefore validation through an endorsement by The Herald would not align with our mission to support students of color at Brown.
We believe that by actively engaging and listening to marginalized communities within Brown, The Herald can do better to help make the concerns and ideas of these groups visible. We look forward to seeing that change occur in the near future in a way that acknowledges the harm that has been done in the past and actively works to restore relationships with marginalized communities moving forward without furthering the labor The Herald has put on communities of color to repair their relationships with students.
As potential future student representatives, we look forward to working as liaisons as The Herald opens up lines of communication to begin this process.
In Solidarity,
Chelse-Amoy Steele ’18, UCS presidential candidate; Naveen Srinivasan ’19, UCS vice presidential candidate; Yuzuka Akasaka ’18, UFB Chair candidate; Alex Volpicello ’18, former UCS vice presidential candidate
