To the Editor,
I love Swarthmore. As a queer woman, I proudly display rainbow Adirondack chairs outside my home. In this town, I am raising two children, have become a community organizer, have been the leader of a Girl Scouts troop, and have quarantined through long months of uncertainty and fear. With economic security and white privilege, I have been rewarded over and over with the gifts of our town, including excellent schools, caring neighbors, tree-lined streets, and an overwhelming sense of safety. This experience is not shared by all my fellow residents.
In recent months, I have been inspirited to see social change and social justice reflected in The Swarthmorean’s pages. The Swarthmorean became something to read, to mull, and to relish. It was a paper that, on a Friday evening, was worth coming home to. It told previously untold stories, and reflected awareness of Swarthmore’s capacity to be a harbinger for a better world.
I am saddened and disappointed that Rachel Pastan and Satya Nelms have resigned from The Swarthmorean. It was, in fact, a triumph for our town to have these accomplished women at the helm of the paper.
However, I think the publishers of The Swarthmorean did not meet these editors in their excellence and instead chose a path against community building, reckoning, and struggle. Their written response to the resignations of Rachel and Satya took credit for the work of the editors, and, even worse, denied their experience. Giving voice to those with less power, and giving credit where credit is due, is the truest sign of great leadership.
Sara Bressi
Swarthmore