7-Opinion
Wednesday, December 9, 2020 — 5
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Michigan in Color
Why Writing?
Think of all the things you’ve
ever written. Essay. Journal
entry. TikTok comment. What
did you write it for? To inform
whoever reads it? To release
your emotions? To complete
the essay that you’ve put off all
of Thanksgiving Break?
There has to be some mean-
ing or reason behind every-
thing that is written because if
there isn’t, what’s the purpose
of it?
By now, The Michigan Daily
has published thousands of
articles ranging from sports
updates to the opening of new
dispensaries on campus, but
what holds the most meaning,
at least to me, is the writing
that comes from Michigan in
Color, “an inclusive space by
and for people of color.”
My experience with MiC so
far has made me realize I enjoy
writing for it because the writ-
ing here, to put it shortly, is
unique. Unique in that every
piece comes from the writers’
experiences and opinions as
people of color. Unique in that
everyone has a different reason
for why they write.
In MiC ME Maya Mokh’s
“Why I Joined MiC” she talks
about how MiC gives a plat-
form for helping other POC
have a voice and a way to share
their stories, and she writes to
find her voice as an Arab, Mus-
lim woman.
Or in senior Lora Faraj’s
“Why I Joined MiC”, she says
she writes because of instances
in her life where subtle acts of
Islamophobia were ignored,
and so she hopes to explore a
mind that has been told to stay
quiet in those instances — her
mind.
And in a conversation I
had with ME Devak Nanua, I
learned that he writes because
he does not believe in the nar-
row perception many people
have as to how an Asian Amer-
ican is supposed to act, so he
writes to reinvent what being
Indian American means to
him.
As these inspiring seniors
sadly make their way to the
end of their time in MiC, there
is a new wave of writers who
wish to share their experienc-
es as well.
Freshman Sarah Akaaboune
told me that she writes because
it gives her a sense of belong-
ing and validity, and that it
makes her feel like she takes
up a space that promotes good
doings and that respects one
another.
Freshman Grace Garmo, on
the other hand, writes for the
desire to learn more about her-
self through her writing and to
connect them to her experienc-
es throughout college. Specifi-
cally, she chooses to write for
MiC because of how much her
cultural identity has shaped
her as she struggled with bal-
ancing her ethnic values while
also
being
surrounded
by
American standards. Through
writing, she is able to stay true
to herself and reflect on how
she’s changing while still being
able to hold onto these values.
This goes to show how time-
less writing is. Issues that
impact POC are ongoing, and
with that, writing about the
experiences,
journeys
and
struggles are ongoing as well.
Reading what the writers of
MiC produce is one of the best
ways to learn about the expe-
riences and opinions of POC,
which is important as it helps
non-POC recognize the privi-
lege they have, which is why I
believe the writing from Mich-
igan in Color holds so much
meaning.
And despite the unique rea-
sons for why MiC writers craft
articles, in the end, every writ-
er has a common goal: to be
heard.
Photo via Unsplash
HANNAH NGUYEN
MiC Columnist
I’m weary with every red-
hatted someone who walks
past me at the grocery store.
I’m afraid that if I take a closer
look, I’ll be face to face with
four words in white print, con-
firming the unease I sensed
at first glance. I’m scared of
every blue flag that is printed
with those same four words,
rippling violently through the
wind while riding on the back
of a red pick up truck. Make
America Great Again. These
four words adopted by Donald
Trump and the injustices they
represent have made me fear-
ful of the very colors that are
supposed to symbolize pride
and hope — the same colors
that represent our nation and
our flag. I would like to say
that this fear is a new feeling
that developed with the use
of those four words. But that
would be a lie. The way my
stomach drops every time I see
red and blue lights flashing in
my rearview mirror is not a
new feeling. I’ve been scared of
those lights my whole life. I’ve
always worried that they would
be the last lights I would ever
see. This fear has been height-
ened these past four years, but
it is not new. This fear is rooted
in the oppression Black people
have suffered from since the
foundation of this country. As
a Black woman, I am hope-
ful that this fear will subside
with the results of the recent
election, but this country con-
tinuously perpetuates its sys-
temically oppressive roots so
us marginalized people know
better than to think anything
will change.
Since
the
anxiety-filled
trainwreck
that
was
elec-
tion week, I keep hearing how
America needs to heal. People
keep saying that our country is
more divided than ever before,
and we have a lot of work to
do to get our country back
to what it was four years ago
before Trump took office. But
why would we do that? What
would we be going back to?
Other than living a pandemic-
free life, there is not a moment
in the history of this country
that we need to revert back
to. How can we heal a country
that was founded on the exclu-
sion of so many people? Saying
that we need to heal is like say-
ing we need to make America
great again. America was never
great, and America was never a
safe and whole place. Anyone
who is not a white, straight, cis
gendered, able bodied, middle
or upper class man has always
suffered.
Racism,
sexism,
islamophobia, transphobia and
homophobia are just a few ide-
ologies this country embraced
since its beginning. These ide-
ologies will continue to exist if
we keep pretending like every-
thing was okay before 2016.
When the fifty states are all
mapped out and colored red
or blue, it is easy to see how
divided the country is. But
the inequities marginalized
groups of people have faced in
America are not always nicely
laid out on paper and easily
defined, and just because the
oppression is invisible to some,
doesn’t mean it is nonexistent.
I can agree that these last
four years have been brutal.
The Trump Administration has
brought out the ugly in Ameri-
ca. But the key is “brought out”.
Trump was only as successful
as the people who voted for
and supported him allowed
for him to be. His hateful prin-
ciples are not unique; they did
not just appear out of thin air.
If people did not agree with
his values, he would not have
been able to secure the presi-
dency in the first place. Yes the
families that were lost and sep-
arated under the U.S Immigra-
tion and Customs Enforcement
need to be found and brought
back together, but how will we
get rid of the hateful ideologies
that put them in this situa-
tion in the first place? Revert-
ing back to how things were
before these past few years, or
“healing” will only leave these
hateful beliefs hidden with no
way of knowing who possesses
them, or when or if they will
come out again. This leaves
anyone the power to reinstate
the harm we are trying to get
rid of.
While I am scared every time
I see Trump’s infamous “Make
America Great Again” phrase
on a lawn sign, I am also filled
with rage. I am angry that
Black people have been suffer-
ing for so long. I am exhausted
after reading countless tweets
defending his actions. I am
frustrated to find out how
so many people who I once
trusted and called my friends
are eager to vote against basic
human rights, my rights. I feel
hopeless because as I sit here
and write this piece, and think
about the injustices this coun-
try was built on, I’m having a
hard time imagining what a
semi-just society would look
like. A country where every-
one is loved and accepted?
That seems impossible. I do
know that until politicians are
able to face the truth and own
up to the corrupt mess that is
America, we will never grow
to be the country marginal-
ized individuals deserve to live
in. America needs to wake up
to its multitude of faults and
work to become the great place
it has claimed to be. I am sick
of being afraid and I am sick of
being angry.
Photo via Unsplash
‘Healing’
MARIA PATTON
MiC Columnist