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s protests and demands for justice have spread throughout the world, The Kirkwood Call has worked to model inclusivity and represent all Kirkwood community members. After recent events reframed public dialogue, as a staffwe felt it was necessary to bypass a normal back to school issue and instead create an issue dedicated to the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. As a publication we strive to equally represent all members of the Kirkwood community regardless of race, religion or any other factor. It is our job to amplify the voices of the individuals in our school and community. In this issue, the TKC staff discusses ways that community members could help assist the BLM movement, along with telling stories of community members' personal experiences. Molly Higgins, print editor, wrote about various Black-owned businesses in St. Louis that people can support. Genevieve Francois, visual managing editor, discusses how Kirkwood should move forward when it comes to combating racism. Kate Schreiber, features and in-depth editor, tells the story of a local musician, Paige Alyssa, and their message as an artist. Along with TKC staff, a guest speaker also wrote for this issue on his personal experiences. Myles Artis, KHS alumnus, wrote a column describing his experiences living in America as a Black person, particularly in the wake of the death of George Floyd. The topic of the issue is so important that we didn't want to distract from the message with the bright colors that would commonly be in our back to school issue. Instead, we chose a minimal grayscale palette, along with a skin tone palette. We decided to use a variety of skin tones in order to promote inclusivity, while filling the rest of the space with grayscale tones to make the skin tones the highlight of the visual. Our issue is finite, but this conversation is not. St. Louis, the Kirkwood community and TKC can all improve in the multi-faceted realm that is supporting Black lives and manifesting an anti- racism lifestyle, not only when people think it's convenient. This issue was designed to serve as a foundation for understanding the complexities of being Black in America, and we implore our readers to delve into these conversations beyond this 20-page magazine. Racism is not a political issue. Supporting Black lives is not a political statement. Our job as a magazine is not over. Doing more - more reporting, more listening and having more empathy - is not an exhaustible task. We hope you enjoy reading this issue - and that the stories told will motivate you to strive for change, too.
Amara Harper, Amelia Hurley and Tom Mueller
EDITORS-IN-CHIEF
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