I would be lying if I said that when I took the position of opinion editor more than three years ago I knew what to expect. Frankly, I just wanted to get involved at the student newspaper and maybe one day climb the ladder. Fast forward, I believe the space, work and commentary this section provides to our campus community transcends the hierarchical ladder I was once concerned with.
This is not a new reality, either. Opinion pieces and editorials have always functioned as critical elements that poll and report what the public is thinking and why they are thinking it and contextualize news stories to shine light on previously overlooked depth and implications.
Long story short, I am humbled to have been granted the opportunity to function as a mouthpiece for students who otherwise would have remained silenced or uneducated on topics. I am grateful for the opportunity to meet, research and learn new perspectives. I am proud to say that I am forever etched as a part of the rich history of The Daily Mississippian.
That growth I mentioned happened relatively quickly, as my first order of business was publishing a piece condemning Gov. Tate Reeves and some actions that I, and many others, qualify as rooted in hate. Before this very moment, I had zero publications, let alone any calling into question another man’s character and ideology. Quickly, I understood that “good” opinions and editorials are the ones that make a sound argument. At their root, many editorials are “just” essays. This understanding made me realize that good journalism, good editorials and good nonfiction will always have much in common. So, being an English double major at the time, I began applying ideas and practices from that discipline to curate more compelling journalism work.
The power of gripping, touching, fact-based stories is immeasurable — not only in a student-run newspaper, but also in life. How many times have we heard an anecdote that made our stomach turn, or even made it hurt from laughter, or made us wince and pull back our necks as we imagined a depiction of discomfort? Many times, I wished for my work to relate to and touch the reader in a way that stuck with them. That is more memorable than any technically perfect work could ever be. Week to week, there was a perpetual battle in my editor head of form versus function.
Some of the challenges I faced across this time have lent me valuable life lessons. One above all, to be candid, is time. To hit deadlines while chopping down long-form essays into digestible articles was, for a while, a task I struggled with. Thankfully, the office believed in me long enough until I became proficient at it. A valuable lesson in journalism is that we all share time — whether in the office or as the reader. Time is truly of the essence of the practice of journalism.
Another challenge I faced until now was the reality that perhaps some of the content I chose to publish consisted of ideas and experiences that the majority of campus is unfamiliar with and unwilling to familiarize themselves with. Much of my work focused on ideas of intersectionality, race relations, social barriers and more.
How much does Chad on frat row really care about another police murder of a Black man, I wondered before publishing “When Will It End.”
When I realized Chad probably doesn’t care about the paper as a whole, a weight was lifted. But seriously, when I realized I do not care about Chad in the same way he does not concern himself with issues pertinent to my people, I understood that the work I did at the opinion desk stood for something much greater. If you cannot tell, I adore hypothetical usage in these articles as a means to not only get a point across, but to maybe make a reader grin a bit. I would be remiss if I didn’t shamelessly plug one of my favorites – the intro to this 2023 article on record breaking temperatures.
I digress, back to the main topic.
In a recent interview I conducted with Charles Blow, a former New York Times columnist, he asserted that as editorial writers, especially ones who are particularly invested in the direction of Black America, we must know that part of the job is not caring whether or not people like you or care about you. The job is to be true. And true I have been.
Moving forward, I know The Daily Mississippian opinion desk is in gifted hands with Kadin Collier, a former opinion staff writer, stepping up to take the reins as section editor. To Kadin, I thank you for being a willing contributor to our desk as writer and now as the man in charge. I hope that your time as opinion editor is just as rewarding as mine has been. I trust that you will cover topics, ideas and individuals who would have otherwise remained a single voice in a world of billions.
To The Daily Mississippian, I challenge you to make the diversity of voices of the utmost importance in your reporting and staffing. The state’s flagship university is among the more diverse across top institutions state to state — that should certainly be reflected in our newsroom. Beyond that, I urge you to empower the opinion section further to be the voice of the students who are not the majority — as we come to understanding through interaction, not detachment.
Overall, the past three years in this “job” have not felt like a job at all, but rather an obligation I have happily undertaken. Or even a class in which the lessons are constant. Sometimes, it is a pain in the a— for all the right reasons. Which feeling came up the most? That’s up to you. More than anything, a million thanks to everybody I crossed paths with who enabled me to succeed and learn in this role.
