Dear Nass Community,

We write to you to address the tragedies of this past month: the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery have brought to the fore similar events and experiences of Black Americans in recent memory. These latest deaths are especially striking in the context of Covid-19 and the disproportionate loss of life in Black communities. 

Surrounded by reactions across the United States—in-person protests, virtual sharing of resources, invitations to donate to related causes—the Nassau Weekly would like to unequivocally join the voices calling for change. We express our condolences to the families and communities of Floyd, Taylor, Arbery, and those who lost their lives before them, and we would like to draw attention to several worthy organizations that are accepting donations. 

Some of the posts we have seen in circulation are lists of books by Black authors or about Black experiences for those who seek to educate themselves to be an antiracist, the true opposite of racist in the words of Ibram X. Kendi in his book How to Be An Antiracist and in his recently published New York Times reading list. The Nass would like to add our voices to those asserting the importance of reading these listed books and others, of listening to Black voices in order to give necessary precedence to Black experiences. We hope, now more than ever, that self-education, in addition to direct political action, will help this country change. 

The Nass itself believes deeply in a philosophy that focuses on listening to others; our mission as a publication is to serve a platform for those who wish to share and to allow readers to learn from those reflections. Thus, we also want to express our commitment to protesting these recent events ourselves, as a publication, in the way we know how: by being both a platform for people within our campus community who want to write and a place for readers who want to listen. We especially welcome Black voices at this time. 

As a college publication, we the editors as well as the vast majority of our readership are in the middle of our education. It is our hope that the Princeton community can commit to learning by listening carefully and reflecting on ourselves in the process. By doing so, we believe this moment of tragedy, pain, and anger can become a pivot point for each of us, for the larger Princeton community, and for this country. It is our hope that it will be. 

Black lives matter. 

Stay safe and healthy. With love,

Faith Emba, Editor-in-Chief

Tess Solomon, Editor-in-Chief