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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

