With 2023 at a close and the holiday season ending, we at the Community Edition would like to wish all of our readers, contributors and supporters a very happy new year. Last year, we made a resolution to continue growing both as a team and as an organization. We made some great connections in the community—such as with Midtown Radio and the Writer’s Alliance. We also hosted the Whimsical Night Market, our first Steel Rails event since COVID-19 started.
As such 2023 was jam-packed for TCE—and it was a great year.
However, we’ve also had a lot of pain in the last year. Communities across the world have suffered, and our community has shared in that suffering.
As we covered many different stories, there were so many interviewees who emphasized the need for empathy. We heard about the need for empathy for the people of Palestine, Sudan, Ukraine, Congo and other places around the world.
While we are all very different. there have been moments in each of our lives where we felt pain and suffering-and should be able to use that to support others who are suffering even if the resons are different.
We have learned about the empathy we have for people in our own community-people who are dealing with food and/or housing insecurity, who must then deal with complicated burearcracy and unfriendly neighbours who don’t want them there.
We have seen this empathy manifest itself as constant activisim. How brave, how compassionate, how admirable those people of our community are. Who give up their time, energy and more for the sake of others.
Our own community has shown up for Palestine, against climate change, for the queer and trans community and more.
We have over ten articles labelled “rally” covering the different causes our community has rallied for and against.
“We are far away,” they say. “we are privleged. But we will not leavae anyone behind. We will not forget you.”
We have met so many community members-activists and not-with so much love, compassion and anger at injustice- who we admire. These are people of all ages, positions and stations. Such comraderie.
Unfortunately, we don’t think all of our problems will be solved in 2024. But if our community continues to show up and speak up, we can hope for better always.
As always, we also look forward to meeting all of the news readers and volunteers we will meet this year. Us at TCE will continue to learn and grow-and we hope you’ll continue this journey with us.
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