Letter: Cover focus should have been on Black leaders

Graphic by Lori Deaton

In the midst of a global, Black-led uprising, the June 10 cover of Xpress focused on white artists who created works in support of the Black Lives Matter movement [“Storefront Solidarity: Local Artists Paint Downtown Businesses to Show Support for Protests”]. While the art is impressive, the focus in this moment should be on the Black leaders who are and have been leading us all to freedom.

If we want to dismantle racism, we must disrupt the dominant narrative that centers on white voices and perspectives. The white-led action featured in your cover story was inspired by Black-led protests — which are the real story.

— Jason Krekel
Asheville

Editor’s note: We agree that including and highlighting the voices of the community members most affected by an issue — in this case, Black and brown communities responding to disproportionate police violence — is of critical importance.

The murals inspired by recent protests began appearing on Wednesday, June 3, and the project was in full swing by Friday, June 5. To meet our Monday, June 8, print deadline, our writer had to depend on sources immediately available to him. However, that week’s paper and all of our recent issues have featured the voices of African American and Latinx community members, including artists, community leaders, elected officials, youths and others.

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4 thoughts on “Letter: Cover focus should have been on Black leaders

  1. C-Law

    Uh oh, now you’ve done it MtnX!

    You’ll never pass the purity tests of the Marxist cancel culture. Soon Jason and his type will be calling to have you defunded, de-platformed, doxxed, and purged or re-educated. Welcome to 1984. I hate to say, “I told you so!” But in this case I thoroughly relish it MtnX! Something about reaping and sowing…

    • Dennis Patrick

      “Marxist cancel culture”? What does this gibberish even mean? Instead of a disagreement over someone’s beliefs, we have insults. One could hurl the same accusation at President Lincoln with the “Emancipation Proclamation”! – how dare he wish to redefine cultural heritage and ‘beloved’ institutions! (in case you don’t get it – that is sarcasm.)

      • C-Law

        Okay then Dennis,

        I dare you to promote the philosophy that “All Lives Matter” on all your social media and professional practice platforms…you’ll get a first-hand real world education in “cancel culture.” You gotta be some kind of Boomer to be this dense and unwoke…you don’t even know the verbiage of the revolution. Better figure it out soon, some hard choices are coming your way soon, the tide is ebbing on your generation.

    • Lou

      Wow, for someone with as much disdain as you obviously have for this publication, you sure do show up on the discussion boards A LOT. LOL everyone else left the room huh?

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