Letter from the Editor

Welcome to What The F, your feminist periodical!

Wow. What a year. If you’re reading this, congratulations, you made it! In just one year, we’ve fought our way through threats of war, climate disasters, a contentious election cycle, and, of course, a killer virus. Given all that’s happened, the fact that you’re here, reading this magazine, is an accomplishment in itself. Issue 21 stands as a testament to the commitment and dedication of our staff, guest contributors, and loyal readers in putting together and enjoying our magazine.

I’d like to take a moment to reflect on all that’s happened in What The F-land this year. Early this calendar year, our organization became a part of University Arts Council (UAC), which provides us with much-appreciated funding and recognition. We even won the Staff Choice Award in the spring for our work! Everything was virtual by then, but that didn’t stop us. Later, the Black Lives Matter protests rising up across the nation inspired us to revamp our image and make ourselves more welcoming to people of all identities. Once the school year started, we even welcomed a new team: the blog! (Shout out to Claire for being our pioneer!) Also, the finance team became Marketing, thanks to UAC’s generous support. We then welcomed more than a dozen new members to our team, along with guest contributors for this issue.

In light of our achievements, though, I would like to acknowledge all of those who didn’t survive. As of writing this letter, the U.S. is approaching a quarter million COVID deaths, making this pandemic already the fourth-largest massdeath event in the country’s history. This summer also saw the murder of dozens of Black citizens by police as calls for abolition mounted. ICE is still separating children from their parents after immigrating and holding them in deplorable and moreover, highly secretive conditions, and an untold number have died there. Beyond our borders, Yemen is currently facing one of the worst humanitarian crises in modern times, with millions suffering extreme famine.

I may have the privilege of writing this from an identity not directly impacted by the aforementioned events, but I stand with those who are. I feel I speak for What The F staff when I say I refuse to remain blind to the problems of our world. It’s become cliché to say it, but it remains vitally true that silence only benefits the oppressor. Within these (virtual) pages, our writers and artists boldly share their stories of survival. Sitting on the sidelines is not an option for their varied topics, ranging from illness, generational survival, music, heteronormativity, and even boring Zoom calls.

If you’ve made it this far, either in the magazine or in life, the only option is to keep going. Thank you for joining us as we ride the rollercoaster that is 2020 and take a journey through this issue. Together, we are stronger. Together, we will survive.

In solidarity,