Trinity Velazquez

Editor in Chief

I’m the first black female EIC of this paper, and I feel that history has its eyes on me. The Current Sauce having a black editor in chief could not have come at a better time than right now.  

With the Black Lives Matter movement in the media more than ever, this paper needs to be the buffer between what people hear and what the truth is. And my truth is that just because I’m black doesn’t mean that I know everything there is about being black.  

It’s never been said explicitly stated, but I know that when it comes down to anything regarding relating to BLM, I must cover it. I am aware that the general impression of the paper this year is that because there is a black editor, racial relations will be covered better because I’m supposed to understand them, and black people are more likely to talk to me.  

I have never been exposed to so much racism, hate, and violence before this year. It is everywhere on social media and is inevitably brought up at every family dinner. My family doesn’t ignore things, we never have.  

There is no issue we do not address. My brothers got the “hands up, don’t shoot” conversation when I was away at college. I got the “black women have to work twice as hard to receive half of what the white male gets” speech when I told them about wanting to be in journalism. 

Despite everything black people have gone through this year, it still has been our year. Just a few minutes from me, the first black mayor of Natchitoches is sitting at his desk in City Hall. In Colorado, Governor Jared Polis has elected more black women as judges than any of his 42 predecessors. Kamala Harris, Joe Biden’s running mate is the first black female to be named as a vice presidential candidate.  

It’s been almost ten years since The Current Sauce had a black editor in chief. Jimmie Walker was the first black EIC and is now very successful from what I’ve seen on his LinkedIn.  

Of course, I want that for me. I want to be successful after college, but I want to be successful while still in college too. I want that for The Current Sauce.   

But my term as editor won’t get the paper where it needs to be. My staff has only three women of color on it, and that needs to change. The expectation that this paper will become more diverse and up to par with racial issues is something I will strive to do, but I will not make any promises that I can solve this problem in just one term. 

Just as women weren’t designed to be men’s saving grace, I can’t be this paper’s saving grace. 

I want this paper to be the very best it can be. I want this paper to go beyond the scope of what is normal and be better with every story and issue. This Viewpoints section is near and dear to my heart because I was Viewpoints Editor for a year and a half.  

This section is the most important to me because it focuses on what really matters: the students and their opinions.