As online editor-in-chief of this wonderful paper, I couldn’t be prouder of our staff for all the incredible work we’ve done to put this special issue together. Race is such a sensitive topic and it took a great deal of bravery for us to tackle it with an equal amount of sensitivity and boldness. I am grateful to have a platform such as Hilltop Views where I can do not only journalism but journalism that makes a difference.

As a black African woman, race has to be important to me. I do not have the luxury of being able to ignore it when it is uncomfortable and own it when it is beneficial. It is not optional. It hasn’t always been this way. I often say “I’ve been alive for 21 years, but i’ve been black for only 8 years.” I moved to Texas from Sierra Leone, West Africa in 2008 and, for the first time, realized that outside of the motherland, my blackness means more than just being able to stay in the sun forever or using an excessive amount of lotion to combat ashiness. My blackness was not only superficial, it was a piece of my identity that was seen before I was. As a result of this newfound identity, I feel the need to be vocal about racial issues and on a personal note, that inspired my decision to do this special issue on race.

As a journalist, I believe it is my duty to effect change. I believe that if the work that I do does not effect change, then I, quite frankly, just need to put down the pen and walk away.

With that being said, I hope that this special issue is able to spark more than just conversation because we’ve talked enough. I hope that it will spark in each of us a responsibility to act and to speak against racial prejudice when we see it — be it from your grandpa at Thanksgiving or a teacher in the classroom.