Letters from the Editors

urna Mukherjee

Hi, I’m Aurna. I am the fact check editor of this magazine. I make sure that the information in feature articles, graphics, and all else are true and factually relevant. Currently, I’m a freshman at LASA (Liberal Arts and Science Academy) High School. I have one dog who I begged for about 10 years to have, and finally got after calling many dog breeders whilst impersonating my mother. I also love singing, and have been doing it for as long as I can remember; in fact, I sing so much that my parents often spam me on Hangouts telling me to be quiet so they can focus on their meetings. As much as I read over this, I realize how privileged I am to have well to do parents who are with me every step of the way. I know this was not the case for my parents; my mother had a limited period of time to find a job after getting a scholarship to the University of Illinois at Urbana, and my father had to work to achieve a Master of Business Administration degree at UC Berkeley. Had my parents not been exposed to the career opportunities they needed, my life would have been drastically different, which is why I think it is important to highlight the struggle of colored people to avail of career opportunities.

edanth Ramanathan

My name is Vedanth Ramanathan, and I’m a freshman at LASA High School in Austin, Texas. Throughout my childhood in Austin, I’ve always been blessed with a nice place to live and go to school, but I never realized that not everyone had that until I reached my teen years. As I started to see the racial structures in society I started questioning why certain things were the way they were, and started thinking of ideas in which they could be fixed. That’s why in our group, we decided to explore the roots of Austin’s history of racial inequality through different perspectives. When I analyzed Austin through a geographical lens, I learned so much about the dark physical divide that cuts through our city, and how it is something I didn’t have a full understanding of before. As an aspiring lawyer, and politician, this opened my eyes to the disenfranchisement of people based on race and the full aspect of what it does to an individual. In this article, I hope to shed light on these issues and share with you how they have dominated Austin for centuries.

liana Legatt

My name is Eliana Legatt. I am the copy editor for this magazine. I ensure all of the feature articles, cutlines, and everything else fit the Associated Press (AP) style. I am currently a freshman at the LASA High School in Austin, Texas. My current favorite book is Little Women, and I am slowly making my way through reading all of the great classics. I have big hopes and dreams for my future of becoming a lawyer; however, I am still undecided on what type of Lawyer I would like to be. I want to pursue this profession because I hope to change the world for the better. I chose to write my feature on police brutality in Austin. When the other editors and I initially decided on this magazine topic, the George Floyd case was prevalent in the news and our minds. Because of this, I wanted to write about the issue and how it may have relevance in Austin.

than Ojede

Hello, my name is Ethan Ojede. I am a freshman in LASA High School and I have been grateful for my opportunities. I enjoy computer science and game development since I want to understand how software in electronic devices work. I plan to pursue a career path in computer science and use my knowledge to benefit others. The reason I wanted to create a magazine about racism and gentrification in Austin is because I have experienced racism and discrimination in my life. When I tell other peers at school that I can develop games or create websites, they sometimes don’t believe me, but they do believe it for people of other races. This bothers me since anyone can be talented in computer science or any other activity regardless of race.

harly Chatelain

My name is Charly Chatelain, and I am currently a freshman at LASA High School. As a native of the cozy suburbs west of Mopac, Austin had always seemed like a sort of paradise to me. The cool culture, nice weather and kind residents caused me to fall in love with the city. Needless to say, when I figured out its dark history, it was shocking. To this day, Austin is the most severely segregated major city in the United States, yet it is also ranked among the nicest to live in, what a dichotomy. Since then, I have been able to see this first hand, and it only predicated my passion for this subject. What we aim to achieve through covering this topic is to dissect the many cogs in the machine of systemic racism in Austin and to show how it affects people and relates to history. My article is focused on racism in Austin’s education system.