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What is your why?
How do you embody it?
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I recently participated in the ‘Publication Editors Panel Discussion’ at pub crawl as a panelist. I had a great time chatting with the moderator, Ariel Meadow Stallings, and other panelists, GB Rogut, Eric Pierce & KiKi Walter.
I feel a deep sense of gratitude for the presence held, and insights shared during that discussion.
I was asked a question that has remained relevant with me post that discussion.
What is your why for running this publication?
I gave an answer that felt appropriate to say in that context. However, I would like to fully answer the question here.
Over time, my awareness of the depth of my capacity to feel has profoundly grown. I’ve learned to allow myself to fully experience each feeling, while embracing its impermanence. This took some time to develop.
Typically, I’ve been dismissed by those around me for experiencing my emotions authentically. Despite advocating for myself and articulating an understanding of my feelings, acceptance from others has been a rarity. I’ve seen others called weak, lazy or unstable while enduring their own hardships.
Throughout my journey, numerous experiences have taught me how natural and normal it is to feel all, let me repeat myself, all, of our emotions. Here are just a few.
Isolation as a POC (Person of Color)
For the majority of my upbringing I went to PWIs (Predominately White Institution). In those spaces, I felt paradoxically invisible while being hyper-visible. The sense of belonging eluded me when I wasn’t embraced by my colleagues. This feeling persisted beyond educational institutions too. I’ve experienced my fair share of racial profiling, micro aggressions at work, and a lack of access to spaces, and resources, tailored for POC. With this being an everyday experience, I began to feel as though the world was not designed with POC in mind.
“Perceived social isolation (i.e., loneliness) is a risk factor for, and may contribute to, poorer overall cognitive performance, faster cognitive decline, poorer…
