The Fall 2018 issue of Divisadero is titled “Open Space and Open Hearts: Activismo por la Seguridad y la Comunidad”. For us, this issue was about being open in order to foster a true sense of security with our diverse USF community. In today’s political climate, it is important to use our privilege and our voice to create unity against prejudice. As writers and editors of this issue, we came together with the shared goal of learning more about the art of journalism, about how we can use our individual experiences to voice those silenced by systematic oppression and to understand how social justice and storytelling can have a social and political impact. It is imperative to write stories that dig deeper into the problems of our society and recognize the people who are helping transform the world, one action at a time. Therefore, we decided to use this issue of Divisadero to highlight student activism on our campus and the U.S. today. We created student activist profiles to highlight the inspiring work happening around campus to “change the world from here.” We wanted to be intentional about words since so much damage and erasure happens at the level of language and so much change can happen by naming our truths. For this reason, our issue strives to be inclusive by understanding the political nature of words and messages, especially in this time of "fake news" and the attack on journalists. To that effect, we crafted a glossary with key terms and definitions for our readers. As Divisadero is a journal that represents Latin American and Latinx culture on campus, around San Francisco and the U.S., our writing in English, Spanish and Spanglish also reflected that experience.

The individual pieces in this issue touch upon themes of finding security and home in a world of change. Lizbeth Quiñones Gil retells her coming-out story in “Diario of a Queer Chicana” saying, “with my work I wanted to not only tell my own story but move the conversation forward so others would be able to tell their own.” Jessica Hyman, author of the insightful piece “Change the World From Here: Representation and Mental Health Access at USF” explains the goals of her piece saying, “my work aimed to address the importance of crafting safe spaces for USF community members. By exploring CAPS as well as the cultural centers in my pieces I was able to shed light on the ways LGBTQIA and undocumented students, as well as students of color find safety and comfort at USF, as well as spaces to make their voices heard and shape activism on campus.” As for my piece, I brought it close to home and wanted to highlight Jonathan Landeros’ artistry from my place of origin, Salt Lake City, Utah. My work entitled “Short-Film Review: I’m Human Too” reflects the ways in which art and media can create change. My piece strives to show the underrated art of short-film/documentary making and how creating a documentary can bring awareness to the issues of the world around us to inform, advocate, and call viewers to action. I wanted to review this specific documentary to highlight the way it humanizes immigrants in a time in which fake, degrading, and dehumanizing news is targeting immigrants.

This being said, our issue is, in itself, a space for open-hearted readers to join us as actors in our shared fight for justice and dignity for all. We hope you enjoy this issue and we hope to leave you with the idea that you can truly “change the world from here.”