The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Michigan in Color
Monday, September 9, 2019— 3A
When I walked out of the
Jackson
Heights
subway
station in Queens, I could have
been walking out of a metro
station in Delhi or Mumbai
or Chennai. Everyone around
me was Brown, storefronts
all around selling samosas,
chaat and chai. It felt like
home. It made me realize
how empowering it is to be
surrounded by people who
look like you, something so
many white people take for
granted. Two of these photos
show
the
predominantly
South Asian area in Jackson
Heights, Queens, New York;
two of these photos are from
the streets of Kochi, a city
in my dad’s home state of
Kerala in South India. To
me, it is comforting how
immigrant communities are
able to recreate their homes
wherever they settle. In the
moment, sipping my chai and
listening to all of the different
languages
being
spoken
around me, I was grateful to
be there.
Street Life
There’s a space between space
and time that you’ve managed to
reside in. A grey area that should
have slipped through the cracks.
But, you’ve managed to maneuver
adhesive
after
adhesive
into
what was once shattered. This
space between space and time
used to seem endless. Like the
union of black hole to infinity.
Like the consolidation of now
and then. Like the reality of an
unwanted death during life. The
space between space and time
was massive yet miniscule. And
you managed to fit right in. I
don’t believe in fairytales. I don’t
believe in the idea of one soul
being my required mate. But, I’ve
seen the grey turn to light. I’ve
seen you slip through the cracks
to make the space between space
and time seamlessly disappear.
I’ve seen my soul turn soft,
and felt my knees grow weak.
I’ve seen my smile frame many
millimeters, and I’ve felt my eyes
rain. In your presence, the space
between space and time is lost.
In your presence, there has never
been enough space and there will
never be enough time. In this life,
your soul has proved to latch onto
mine. And in this space and time,
I don’t mind mating with a soul so
fine. I’d let you fill my space until
the end of time, for I’ll always be
yours and you’ll forever be mine.
Space and Time
DIERRA BARLOW
MiC Podcast Editor
First day of school for
people of color
I love to either completely
match, or use colors of same
palette. While I decided to
choose an array of blues for
my nails, I sadly forgot about
my
closet—I
barely
own
anything blue. However, I
found this spearmint striped
shirt-dress
hiding
in
my
closet. Even better, I’ve never
worn this dress, so what
better way to start off my
junior year than in a new fit!
Malikah Pasha
MiC Contributor
Fashion is a way that any
individual can express their
culture on an everyday basis
— and even more importantly,
on the first day of school! This
year MiC wanted to showcase
the first day of school outfits
of
students
of
color
who
use their fashion to express
their creativity and present
themselves to the rest of the
world. The students we are
presenting have cultivated their
style to truly express themselves
as individuals. Please enjoy their
fashion choices and the effort
they put into expressing their
identity in the form of fashion.
Fashion gives me the ability to
put together a piece of artwork
everyday when I wake up. I want
to let people know through my
fashion that you are not subjected
to. a specific style and that
you have the freedom to wear
anything that sets your soul fire.
Chanel Barnes
MiC Contributor
I chose this outfit for my
first day of classes because
the top is a vintage 1940s shirt
in my favorite color. I want
to get into more sustainable
ways to shop for clothes this
year
and
stop
supporting
fast fashion, especially when
there are secondhand clothes
that are this cute and unique!
My Hello Kitty backpack is
peeking out from the bottom
left corner—it’s a purchase
that I made because I’d like
to think that Hello Kitty is
not only a baddie, but also an
iconic woman of color.
SEAN TRAN
MiC Off the Record blogger
DANYEL THARAKAN
MiC Editor