Voice
Writing the Caravan Voice is a task that most of our staff members try to avoid as it adds onto the pile of work that we already have to do to put out this paper every week. But after passing around the responsibility for a couple of days, one of us finally volunteers to write it and, whoever it is, ends up enjoying the writing process since there really is nothing better than having a ‘voice’ and being heard.
No one knows that better than those who are marginalized in our society, those who so desperately need a voice but are, unfortunately, never heard.
Those of us who are heard tend to take it for granted. Like student newspapers for example, not just the Caravan. Did you ever wonder what it would be like at our university without student newspapers; venues for all students to be heard and represented? Or even worse, if there were student newspapers but they all chose to disregard a certain department and never mentioned its news?
Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? But it happens everyday in widespread, mainstream media where a certain group of people, labeled as outcasts, are ignored and never heard. But just to show you how important it is for someone to have his/her voice heard, these people start up what is called “street newspapers.”
Street newspapers are independent newspapers and magazines that give a voice to those who are forced to be voiceless in society, like homeless people, by providing an insight into their life and community. It is a phenomenon that has spread in parts of North America and Europe and is recently spreading in Asia and Africa. Street newspapers are sold on the street by those members of the community, who might not have had jobs before, after they’ve been trained to become vendors and even reporters and writers.
The urgency that these people feel to put out a publication that represents them and gives them a voice is the same urgency that we should feel towards utilizing the great advantage of already having a voice.
