by Alexandra Griffin

Welcome to our final issue of 2020, in which we look at prejudice from a variety of perspectives. Krista reveals the wisdom of the ages. Sage shows us the value of turning up the voices of color which are far-too-often muted. And Kimberly Valencia depicts a racist man in the comic who is unaware of his own ignorance, his poor spelling. It shows that he does not even know whom he is critiquing. Enjoy the end of the year, and keep working to fight prejudice, in whatever form you find it.

Volume by Sage 

We’re all born with a volume level set at 10.
Screaming crying shouting our way into life and existence.
But it doesn’t take long for someone to adjust the knobs.
Not by the loved ones
But by the world that we are born into.
Why is that my volume is it an eight but her volume is that a three
All because the color of her skin?
Don’t they know she has important things to say?
Stop hitting the down button.
Stop punching “mute”.
It’s hard to demand these things when people in charge have been doing it for centuries.
It is my job to lower my already high volume that I did not have to work to increase/
It is my job to listen to the volume of black and brown voices that have been drowned out by the static of white supremacy for years and years.
It is not my job to shout louder and claim I’m turning the knob for them instead.  

Unerasable  

by Krista Nadeau 

I was unsure of who she was
Looking back at me.
Eyes with wrinkles 
And blurry to see 
Spectacles bring up close
The knocking of age 
Upon my face 
It sneaks up quickly 
With little time 
To embrace 
As if suddenly 
The look of wisdom
Bestowed upon me 
My face now framed 
With white
How could this be? 
Time is both a 
Thief and a blessing
A lesson I’m learning 
Never to travel back 
Despite the yearning 
In the moment 
They say
To try and stay 
Don’t look back 
Or wish it away 
Life is fleeting 
And fragile
This I see 
Haven’t yet mastered 
How to just be 
I see her now 
She’s getting older  
Salt and pepper 
But much bolder 
Unfading laugh lines 
Never erase 
But understanding 
Is written 
All over her face 

by Margaret Thornton 

by Kimberly Valencia 

“Don’t Stop”

“Prejudice can feel like a sign telling you that you can’t go any further, but you gotta keep going so you can blossom properly. Don’t let it stop you”

by Apriccot (apriccot.art)