editor’s note

EDITOR’S NOTE EDITOR’S NOTE EDITOR’S NOTE

I got the idea to bring back The BLACK ACE one day last spring leaving a shift at Gelman Library, where I worked at the time. I saw a lone copy of a 2017 edition of ACE sitting on a counter, it caught my eye. I picked it up and flipped through the pages thinking to myself, ‘whatever happened to this?’ and ‘how can I bring it back?’ —and thus ACE was reborn.

My passions are as follows: creating art, telling stories, curating spaces for connection, and being Black. I felt ACE could be the perfect avenue to combine these passions and create something very beautiful that would engage the Black community at GW and document and tell the stories of our Black student body. It has not been easy to bring back the magazine. I and the ACE team have faced many trials in the process, but I am proud of what we’ve created and thankful for all the help we have received. I want to give a special thanks to Peyton Wilson for guiding me in the early stages of reimagining The BLACK ACE. The Theme “The Rose that Grew From Concrete” highlights the growth of our Black student body. It acknowledges where we each came from, and the struggles that Black people have endured as a whole. It also puts a spotlight on our accomplishments, the beauty of culture, and the amazing places we are bound to go. Black people continue to defy the odds, and we deserve to be applauded for our resilience and talent.

We also deserve to tell our own stories, in our most authentic voices. All that being said, welcome back to The BLACK ACE Magazine, enjoy. Take Care,

Kiera Sona

“Did you hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete? Proving nature’s law is wrong it learned to walk with out having feet. Funny it seems, but by keeping its dreams, it learned to breathe fresh air. Long live the rose that grew from concrete when no one else ever cared.” By: Tupac Shakur