DOWN Magazine was created in the Spring of 2015 to be a space for writers of color to generate and disseminate work of all genres, from long-form nonfiction narrative to fiction, poetry, art, investigative journalism, and more. It was, and continues to be, a much needed space online and on campus for writers of color…
On February 20th, 2020, I had the opportunity to attend the symposium and discussion: Redefining Blackness in America. Created by the wonderful Amara Mgbeike, this event featured speakers such as Rebecca Amonor, Cera Smith, and Dr. Carolyn Roberts. The event began with Dr. Roberts, a professor at Yale, recounting her experiences as a first…
You stand on College and Grove Street. Staring intently at the spotlight, you wait to cross the street in a group of twenty students all huddled together. Suddenly someone walks right past the group (most times, but not always, a man, and most times, but not always, white) and crosses the street without hesitation. The…
April 20, 2019 Dear President Peter Salovey, Chief of Police Ronnell Higgins, and senior members of the Yale administration: We, Black Students for Disarmament at Yale, unite to demand that Peter Salovey and the Yale Police Department implement immediate and lasting policies to address the injustice of the April 16th shooting of Stephanie Washington and…
I scroll through my Facebook newsfeed, but my thumb stops moving across the screen when I see it: an FBI investigation about admissions fraud at Yale University. The “Yale Memes for Special Snowflake Teens” page fills with memes on photoshopping students into athletic photos and paying $400,000 for admission. Friends, former teachers, and classmates share…