To the Publishers,
I was stunned to learn that Rachel Pastan and Satya Nelms were driven to resign from the newspaper. Under Rachel’s stewardship, the paper has been relevant and provocative in the best of all possible ways. It attracted guest columns from a greater variety of community members, just as it shed light on issues formerly swept under the rug. Increased attention to social justice may have cut down on the “fun,” but such articles and editorials were crucial to Swarthmorean readers during the pandemic and the ongoing movement to show that Black Lives Matter.
As an occasional contributor and someone who has read and annotated every issue since The Swarthmorean’s inception in 1929 through 1932 (thus far), I can’t help but see the publishers’ policies as in line with longstanding choices to play things safe. In the paper’s early days, this resulted in a lighthearted approach to blackface performances; editorial “indignation” over the idea of ending residential segregation; silence about racial segregation in the schools; and a pretense that residents of color were not real Swarthmoreans. These choices and omissions speak volumes to people interested in the history of Swarthmore, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, and beyond.
Although I plan to continue cataloging the newspaper, I want to make it clear that it is for the benefit of readers and historians; it is by no means an endorsement of a Swarthmorean that goes back to hiding its head in the sand. I am not accusing the publishers of racism, but I am suggesting that they are misguided if they believe that most Swarthmore residents cannot handle uncomfortable topics and that they should not presume that their readership is of a certain race and orientation.
Let me close by arguing that Swarthmore’s loss is the reading world’s gain; with more time to devote to her writing, Rachel will continue to thrill and enlighten us all with her brilliant novels.
Yours sincerely,
Laurie Bernstein
Philadelphia