Editor's Letter

2020 has been one hell of a year. I'm sure that you do not need me to outline recent events, but the way in which the pandemic didn't so much expose but underscore the prejudices and injustices in the world that we live in today means that we cannot engage with activism nor social justice causes the way that we used to. The pandemic is the reason that we landed on the topic of the white saviour for this term's issue: during the Black Lives Matter protests in May, coronavirus forced supporters of the movement to publish their activism online on a scale that has not been seen in recent years. The infamous screenshot of a black square for "Black Out Thursday" surrounded by the usual asinine images one would associate with an Instagram influencer is one of the landmark images of this year for the history books; the memeification of Breonna Taylor and Black Lives Matter, as well as the reams of performative activism as it became a trend to engage with the movement, forces us to take a good hard look in the mirror and think about how we, as privileged people, engage with the causes of minorities and whether we are actually helpful or not.

Putting this magazine together in a level five lockdown was a mammoth task, but we're finally here! I would like to give a huge thank you to subeditor Claire Stalhuth, the Suas Trinity Committee (in particular treasurer Nora Christians), and all of our contributors for their cooperation, support, understanding, and great content. It has been an absolute pleasure to edit the Suas Magazine this semester, and I look forward to what next term's semester brings. This issue aims to educate as well as inform our readers on the deeply complex topics of white saviourship and voluntourism; I hope you enjoy the fantastic journalism within that we are lucky enough to be giving a platform.

Flora Moreau

Editor, Trinity Suas Magazine