This editorial board realizes its role

At the start of the semester, instead of exuding the usual excitement of entering a new school year, editorial board meetings felt solemn, with a giant elephant in the room.

The first pitch jumped immediately into the topic of white supremacy. The next pitch followed suit, followed by another and another.

We knew this coming into the job. We knew emotionally exhausting conversations were coming. 

That did not, however, stop the editorial board from discussing these issues twice a week, every week on Mondays and Thursdays.

In fact, there were days when white supremacy, Silent Sam and institutionalized racism — on and off this campus — were the only topics discussed in the entire meeting.

This, of course, was to be expected and even welcomed.

Does the editorial board miss some things? Of course. 

We each have our own separate lives outside of The Daily Tar Heel, but that's how we best reflect UNC.

Students have the ability to be invested in multiple issues, ranging from social justice to tacky campus buildings to the football team. These things are not mutually exclusive from one another.

In that same regard, the entire opinion desk as a whole is led by two women of color this year — the first time in this newspaper’s history. The pressures that this year's leadership face are different, and the stakes that we hold in the conversations about race on campus have direct consequences. 

So, it goes without saying that the board understands the importance of discussing and critiquing overt and institutionalized racism.

It also goes without saying that there are days that, for our own wellbeing, having lighthearted discussions can be just as impactful on this campus than a continuous stream of discussion about structural problems that already weigh on our minds every day.

Does this mean that we are ignorant to larger issues? Of course not.

Does this mean that we think students on this campus don’t care about these larger issues? Of course not.

Are we open to criticism, suggestions and difficult dialogue? Of course we are.