The lack of Black staff and contributors on The Beacon is concerning. 

The Beacon is the established newspaper of Jackson-Reed High School, supposedly the voice of all Jackson-Reed students. Considering the diversity of our school, where are all the Black people in The Beacon? 

Now I am not by any means saying I hate The Beacon. Our school newspaper gives students something to look forward to. However, this information tends to be biased, given that it comes from a specific group of people. For The Beacon to truly represent the students of Jackson-Reed, the paper needs to include Black voices, Latino voices, Arab voices, Asian voices, and the voices of the LGBTQ community.

It seems like the only time Black writers are represented in The Beacon is during Black History Month, when the newspaper feels the need to include Black voices solely out of fear of being non-inclusive. But amplifying Black voices one month out of 12 is just not enough. The Beacon needs to start making itself an inclusive place where people of color feel welcome to share ideas. Representation means including the voices of ALL people—Black, white, and otherwise. 

But how exactly is The Beacon going to achieve all of this? Since it is already such a white space, staff members need to create a way to involve students of color—for example, giving all of the student unions a space or column to be creative and share their ideas. This kind of outreach will welcome all groups of people into The Beacon, giving the newspaper a new flow of creativity and perspective. •