Friday Night Rights

When I joined The Corsair as a Staff Writer, I never thought that I would be sitting here, writing to you, talking about the years past, and making the decisions of an Editor. It goes to show that life, while it can look bleak, takes twists and turns that no one could foresee. With the first day of fall behind us and October breezing in, the concept of this week’s PDF came to me in the middle of the night. Friday Night Rights is on the forefront of my mind this week. How can I implement them? Bring them to light?

The picturesque Friday Night Lights have suddenly turned into Friday Night Rights — so much more than a simple Autumn football game, that makes you reminiscent of the “before times”. The fall semester for SMC is partially on ground, with classes still being held primarily over Zoom and on Canvas. Watching these students spend most of their days fighting Zoom fatigue made me realize how the editors of The Corsair are lucky, as we get to be in the newsroom on production days.

The “new normal” that COVID has brought has certainly taken away the usual excitement that Back to School brings. Pre-COVID we didn’t have to do the three pocket ‘Keys… Wallet… Mask’ check before leaving the house. And to make things even more complicated, heated debates have erupted all over the U.S. about women’s abortion rights. California is in the midst of a housing crisis, and 38 million Americans are wondering where to find their next meal.

As a woman in this world, direct access to healthcare, and having a choice when it comes to my own body should be a basic right. As a human, food should be the same. We shouldn’t have to endure the fear and insecurity that COVID has brought on us all. Yet — I still have hope for the U.S. For women’s rights, and for the new administration to provide care for the masses. So we still have to do the three pocket check, and masks have to be worn at all times. I am present enough to recognise that being in the newsroom is a gift that I never thought would be possible, even with the world’s problems swirling through my head.

I don’t always have the perfect words, and tend to make mistakes here and there, (Me? Mistake? The Editor?) The days that I spend at the CMD building are bustling with life and excitement for the future.

Being in this room laying out the stories and photos that will be gracing your screens is like no other for me. The Corsair newsroom is electric when we’re all in it as a team. We are dynamic and rich in witty conversation and spirited debate, and I believe that much of this country is the same. When we come together as a team, the rights that we all hope for seem tangible.

I can’t truly speak for the entire country, but I can recognize what I would want it to look like. My goal as a leader is to be efficient and transparent in all that I do, and shine light on the topics that truly deserve it.

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