In the early morning of Feb 24, Russia invaded Ukraine. The world watched in horror as Russian imperialism once again threatened the freedom of many.

The evening prior, I was working on schoolwork until I got a notification on Discord. The notification was a comment by a staff member regarding Russia’s initial attacks on Ukraine. I felt the tension in our team escalate as staff got increasingly anxious about the situation. I decided to mute Discord’s notifications. Though I tell myself the decision was practical, as I had work to get done, deep down I wanted to shut the news out.

DING! Notification after notification, I was getting more and more anxious and irritated. I have been desensitized by tragedy after tragedy that has marked my short lifetime, as well as the knowledge that plagues anyone who is consistently reading up on news about a divided and chaotic world. I didn’t know to take the news as seriously as I should have at first. We as a species have been subjugated to endless violent conflicts. “This exact thing happened in 2014 when Russia invaded Ukraine, so what is so different about this time?,” I thought to myself.

War is not something that goes away after you close a tab or turn off the TV. Despite the difficulties me or my family have faced as minorities, I live a relatively comfortable life compared to others. When the situation gets tough, it's easy for me to resort to shutting the news out. But that luxury is not afforded to the people of Ukraine.

Juliette Marquis, The Corsair’s Multimedia Editor, is a Ukranian-American who spent her childhood in Ukraine. She has had to watch her home country be ravaged by the cruel realities of war. But she has not stayed silent, and has instead spent her time writing pieces informing others about what is happening to her home country. Other staff members have also contributed to The Corsair’s coverage regarding Ukraine, from writing to photography.

School newspapers such as The Corsair play an integral part in the mobilization of the student body towards documenting important issues and giving a voice to the voiceless. As a group that tends to be patronized and infantilized, students can find comfort and solidarity by sharing and advocating for what they are passionate about. Even though reporting such news can often be draining, I am proud of how my team has been able to use the fear that has been present since the fateful day of the invasion to be an instrument of change.

In Defiance of Helplessness