This past month was big. The launch of anything, especially a project like SEALED, is scary but mostly it’s exciting. Keeping the momentum of a project going is almost scarier than the initial launch and it’s something that’s been on our minds as the calendar edged closer to October. Would we be able to maintain an audience? Would people still want to contribute? Can we continue to fulfill our mission of amplifying voices and stories?

September was big in other ways too. This is an evocative time in our country and we have decided that there is not a better moment to focus on how we can each be altruistic in our endeavors, including our writing. After an introspective month working on our first issue, October’s editorial theme is “GIVE.” 

With September’s issue, we were indulgent in writing about ourselves but now we believe it is best to use our platform to focus on others in October.

In this month’s issue, we are offering a variety of “listicles” that include an organization or business from each state benefiting a number of movements, communities and relief efforts. We also offer coverage after wildfires burned the West Coast and how you can help, even if you live halfway across the country like we do. 

Our featured commentary is an open letter to Breonna Taylor from SEALED contributor Kendall Herbert, another inspirational Black woman. Taylor died after being shot by police in her home in Louisville, Kentucky, in March. The officer that killed her has been charged, not with her death, but with “wanton endangerment” for firing into a neighbor’s apartment in Louisville. The two other officers who were involved have not been charged. 999 people have been killed by police in the past year, according to a database from the Washington Post. The rate at which Black Americans are killed by police is more than twice as high as the rate for white Americans. 

As two journalists, and two white women, we believe it is within our due diligence to not only report the racial inequality that people of color face everyday, but also provide a platform through SEALED in which Black and Brown people can report it themselves. As the world’s death toll from the coronavirus pandemic passes more than one million people, we strive to share resources in order to make them more accessible for our readers who may need help. And finally, on top of it all, as wildfires continue to spread throughout the west coast of the United States, we ask that our readers remain mindful of conservation efforts.

We hope you can use this month’s issue as guidance on how we can leave the Earth better than we found it. If time or money is not disposable, we urge our audience to read the writing from our contributors that further raise awareness of events taking place around us. With knowledge comes power and it is up to all of us to decide whether we want to use our power for good.

Sincerely,

Molly & Erin