To the Publishers,
How did you decide, and how will you decide in the future, how many articles on race, equity, and social justice is too many for your readership? What number of readers and subscriptions caused you and will continue to cause you to direct your editors to refrain from writing too many pieces with an equity lens?
Was it editor Rachel Pastan’s equity lens that you had a problem with? The fact that the directive to Pastan and Nelms to return to lighter, more fun articles (rather than articles with an equity lens) caused both Satya Nelms, The Swarthmorean’s first Black editor, and Rachel Pastan to resign — does this give you pause?
I have canceled my subscription to The Swarthmorean. The community and the paper’s readership deserve an explanation from you about why this directive was given to Pastan and Nelms, two thoughtful, compassionate, professional editors who took this local newspaper to the new level that so many of us appreciated and learned from each week.
Sincerely,
Liz Corson
Wallingford