Editorial

Nick Shires and Martina Zacker, Co-Editors in Chief

This is not what we expected. The year 2020 has been marred by a pandemic, a global recession, horrifying racial injustice and incompetent leadership—all compounding day by day like a festering wound. Just six months in, and we have already accepted that many aspects of our lives are beyond repair, and many others will take a lifetime to heal. Just six months in, and we have witnessed yet another innocent black man, George Floyd, murdered by the men sworn to protect him, and in the wake of his martyrdom, the nation has been set ablaze. Just six months in, and we have yet to tame a virus that has claimed hundreds upon thousands of lives and has left billions more hurting from the effects of what has been dubbed ‘The Great Lockdown.’ This locus in history will leave an indelible scar upon multiple generations, and we still have six more months to bear.

This is also a sobering time—a time to introspect and a time to learn from. Many of us are already thinking of ways we can change the world. Although many things have been lost during this time, activism has not been one of them. We have seen communities such as our own come together to fight hate and bigotry, and monumental strides have been made. Many have also aided in the fight against the coronavirus by volunteering, making face masks and donating to various organizations. Despite this caustic period, many of us have chosen to set aside the uncontrollables and instead take action. 

The Columbian’s shift from print to online was equally unexpected, but we continue to work hard to bring you—the reader—our penultimate installment of the 108th volume of the newspaper. This issue features our incoming editors for the 2020-21 school year and aims to provide timely, captivating content, including two guest columns: one, an emotional piece documenting the black experience in America, and the other, an evaluation of qualified immunity.

The 2019-2020 Columbian Editorial Board had more to give our readers. While we are proud that we were able to continue providing you with news, we were also limited in what we could accomplish. We miss talking to our readers in person while selling them papers in the hallway, having eye-opening conversations during interviews with students and faculty eager to share their opinions with us, and having staff writers who were able to explore topics in ways we never would have thought of ourselves. Although we may not miss everything about Columbia High School, we certainly miss all the people who make it special. And if the past six months have taught us anything, it’s that these people will change the world one day. We want to remind you that you are never too small to make a difference in this world; big or small, every act counts. So keep fighting.

The Columbian stands in solidarity with Black Lives Matter and has compiled a list of petitions, organizations, events and resources that can be used to speak out against racial injustice which can be found here.

Designer: M. McBride