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Thursday, August 3, 2017
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com MICHIGAN IN COLOR
AREEBA HAIDER, 2017
Demario, you are such a wonder in
my life. I had heard incredible things
about you before we ever even met.
Every time I saw you living your life,
literally just walking around cam-
pus and emitting light and sunshine
and hope and happiness every-
where you went, I thought to myself,
“wow, wouldn’t it be cool if we were
friends?” And then a miracle hap-
pened and I met you at Espresso
Royale when you were hanging out
with one of my friends. You pretend-
ed to think I was funny, told great
stories, and were just an incredible
source of contagious enthusiasm. A
week later, I interviewed to be a MiC
editor, convinced more than ever
that it was a space I wanted to join.
Demario, your compassion, intel-
ligence, honesty, and commitment
inspire me to be a better person.
Ann Arbor has been blessed with
your presence, and I can’t wait to see
the incredible things you create and
accomplish in D.C.
(I’m also going to use this oppor-
tunity to publicly ask you to please
hang out with me when we are both
in D.C. for the next semester so that
you can’t say no. Be my friend! Con-
tinue to bless me with your pres-
ence!)
ASHLEY TJHUNG, 2017
So much of my social justice jour-
ney can be attributed to Demario.
When I first began at MiC, I was an
anxious first-year unsure about my
place in the social justice commu-
nity and afraid that I did not know
“enough.” Luckily, I had Demario
as a guide. Every time I saw him he
imparted new wisdom and knowl-
edge in a style all his own. His love
for communities of color is evident
from every interaction, and I know
that wherever he goes in life he will
continue to be the inspirational,
positive, and abundant force that
everyone at MiC had the pleasure of
experiencing.
JASON ROWLAND, 2017
Last weekend, I was visiting
Camp Michigania when I thought
I saw you from across the room.
To my surprise, there was a pile of
booklets with your image gracing
the cover. Above your face were the
words “For the Best Michigan” —
and no title would have been more
appropriate than that. For the past
few years, you’ve worked tirelessly
to make this campus a more inclu-
sive and accepting place. When I
turn on the news and get swallowed
up by the negativity surrounding us,
I find comfort in the fact that people
like you still exist. Please keep up the
fight, because it inspires us all to do
the same!
SARAH KHAN, 2015
When I think about Demario, the
first thing that comes to mind is his
voice. When Demario speaks you
can feel every word travel the dis-
tance between. I’ve always marveled
at how every word seems to have
presence, and how even his laugh-
ter is elevated (not to mention his
incredible singing abilities). I hope
that as he moves from Ann Arbor his
rich laughter will fill every space he’s
in. I’m thankful for his companion-
ship as we worked together, and as
I was learning to come into myself.
I’m grateful that MiC got to pass
through Demario’s hands and get
some of his magic--it, and myself,
are all the better for it.
Demario, I wish you nothing but
light and happiness on your next
journey. Much love to you always.
GABY VASQUEZ, 2015
I will always be grateful to Teresa
for encouraging me to contribute
and, eventually, apply to become an
editor for MiC, not only because of
the amazing experience it was to
be a part of such a powerful space,
but because of the beautiful people
I ended up forming such strong con-
nections with. Among those is, of
course, Demario. Demario, a.k.a, my
ray of sunshine, a.k.a, actual, pure
ball of joy. Demario whose words
never fail to inspire me, whose hugs
never fail to lift my spirits, whose
smile is legitimately contagious.
Demario, you are one of the most
phenomenal,
talented,
brilliant,
genuine, kind people I have ever
ever met and I’m eternally blessed to
have you in my life wishing you the
best luck in all that you do and I can-
not wait to see you in D.C.!!
ALYSSA BRANDON, 2016
Dear Demario,
When I met you, I was incoming
freshman at new student orienta-
tion. There I was, anxious, nervous,
and afraid sitting in God-knows-
what auditorium on north campus.
And, there you were, on the stage,
singing that cheesy rendition of The
Victors that everyone loves. So full
of life. Clapping your hands. Danc-
ing around. Looking at you and all
the joy and spirit you had made all
the anxieties I felt dwindle for a
moment, and I could actually visual-
ize everything being ok.
If you attended first year orien-
tation at U of M between 2013 and
2017, you know Demario Longmire.
You may not have had the opportu-
nity to meet him, be graced by his
soul soothing voice or held in one of
his pain releasing embraces, but you
remember him. Because Demario
has the presence of no one you have
met before. He seemed to glow on
stage, emit an energy which made
you feel, for a fleeting moment, that
being at this school would be OK.
Maybe even good. Tuesday night,
I watched Demario perform at his
second to last first year orientation
show. Though my brief moment of
being at peace with attending this
university has gone, my deep love
and admiration for Demario has
grown every day since.
I said goodbye to Demario yester-
day afternoon, and wanted to jam
pack everything I have ever loved
about and appreciated him for in a
short half hour and a journal I got
him in China with cartoon pandas
on it. I realized that was impossible,
and also that I should try and let him
know these things every day. When
it comes down to it, I think one of the
greatest gifts Demario has given me
is a sense of belonging. His empathy
permeates the world around him,
and I feel as though he can build
community just by walking down
the street (perhaps because travel-
ing around Ann Arbor with him is
like traveling with a celebrity and
we are stopped at every block).
One community that Demario
has worked to build is Michigan
in Color, and some of us who have
been able to be part of it wanted to
send him off to DC with the words
he taught us to dig deep for. He
always emphasized that we work
to share our most authentic selves
in our stories, to do so boldly and
unapologetically. We are so grate-
ful that Demario was, and is, part of
our stories, and we hope that we can
express even an ounce of our grati-
tude for him.
Demario, thank you everything
you are and embody. You are a light!
I love you, I miss you, and I’ll see you
soon.
--TONI WANG, 2016
CHRISTIAN PANEDA, 2017
My first encounter with Demario
was during my first year at Michi-
gan where he and other now former
MiC editors interviewed me for
the position of Senior Editor. I was
a very insecure wreck prior to and
during the interview. Even during
the beginning of my MiC career, I
was still really nervous. I was very
unsure of myself and thought I was
brought on board as a weird stroke
of luck. However, I had someone like
Demario to help guide me and alle-
viate my fears rooted in imposter
syndrome. He welcomed me with
open arms my first time in the news-
room and continued to do so every
single night. His humor and wit, not
to mention excellent shade skills,
are things to be admired.
I would like to reiterate what oth-
ers have been saying that Demario
Longmire is an incredible human
being, and I am very thankful that
I had the privilege of working with
him at Michigan in Color, let alone
occupy the same physical space as
him. People like Demario give me
hope.
Dear Demario, thank you for
being the kind and wonderful
human that you always are. You
and Toni have truly inspired me to
be a better advocate and all around
person. If not for you, I would not
be motivated to use my voice to
help others, because you’ve done so
for countless individuals including
myself.
NEEL SWAMY, 2017
Demario has been an invaluable
presence throughout my time at The
Michigan Daily. He is not only will-
ing to share his experiences with
other MiC Editors in an empower-
ing way, but also demonstrates a
fierce commitment for social justice,
diversity and inclusion. His ability
to identify the strengths of every-
one he works with renders him an
amazing person to be around!
ADAM BRODNAX, 2017
Demario is one of those human
beings who can beautifully make
sense of anything. He is incredible
at turning every conversation into
a vulnerable shared moment where
you feel you can be at home. One of
the most moving moments I’ve had
the honor to share is witnessing
his ability to create magic spaces,
particularly at Open MiC night this
past winter term. He has such grace
with his words and is able to fill any
room with vitality and compassion.
I am so grateful to have been able to
share breaths with him, even with
the short time we had.
Demario, I wish you nothing but
love and happiness wherever you go.
I hope that D.C. is everything you
need it to be and more. I am so hum-
bled to be apart of something where
you left an indelible mark with your
words, your soul, and your magic.
DMO goes to DC: A love letter
Read More at
MichiganDaily.com