When I heard the news that The Mac Weekly might be endorsing a candidate in its editorial section, indicating the opinions of some and not all people, and serving not necessarily to influence the votes of the community but to inform the people as to how the editors feel, I think I was conscietized. I know that as a member of the Mac community I have the right to my opinion and that The Mac Weekly is a venue where students can express their opinions. 'Quietly and Mostly to Myself' is a space for students of color from all backgrounds and representing all opinions and beliefs can and should feel free to express themselves-it's a privilege but also a responsibility that anyone from this community who takes the time to express themselves has earned and is entitled to.

That said, a student government election is not the end of the world. It is not so consequential that I should be worried by the fact that the college only has one student newspaper and that there is only one issue of it during the election cycle-there are only 1800 students. There is only one campus. There are only a few positions on the Executive Board and students do not have far-reaching powers that influence life-and-death decisions or long-standing policies that impact interconnected, vulnerable communities. That said, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it is important to make a statement about the reach and scope of the decisions we make today. Maybe it is important to use the venues that we, as students, are entitled to, to achieve what we, as students, can. Maybe it's good to put things in perspective.

That's what this column is about: perspective.

Let me give you one-or three. Or four, if you're counting me.

Simone King has been an ally and advocate in our community from the moment she got here and we are lucky to have her. She has served as a leader of Bridges, the biracial/multiracial/international adoptee student organization, and MacDems, and has been a mentor at Sabathani Community Center, among numerous other achievements. She has let me know that dedicated people with broad horizons can teach those of us who think we already know the world that we have much to learn. I told her over a year ago that I thought she should change her name to Simone President, because of her knowledge of political and social issues and ability to see how they manifest in the everyday lives of the people she and I interact with. She is at once as personable, hardworking, and resourceful, and what I value most out of our friendship is her sense of commitment to other people. I've seen it happen across great divides, national and racial and gendered and ideological and professional-and that's what good leaders do for a community.

Erik Morales is probably the furthest personality from a politician whom I know, and I know anarchists. But he has been a community leader and a campus activist in ways that most people don't always understand or recognize that they need, or that they in fact have always had, an advocate. He has led Bridges and Adelante (our Chicano/a, Latino/a organization) and has been a mentor to first-year students of color in the Student Allies for Academic Success program. He has been working to support student organizations and our members in all our efforts, and has proven his commitment to academic excellence in the Mellon Minority Fellowship Program, in which he has successfully mentored members of the sophomore class. His write-in campaign is a testament to the independent drive he brings to the position of vice-president; the support he has garnered from his peers should be an inspiration to us all. When candidates run unopposed, people go to the polls not knowing they have a choice; it's just like Erik to take on the responsibility of giving them one.

Yong-Ho Kim is talented, faithful, and wicked smart. You may know him as a student manager of the campus center and you may know him as the designer of Adelante's website; if we come to know him as FAC Chair we will have a leader ready to listen to our priorities and make important decisions about the way we do things-and money is power. I don't know him as well as my friends who are running, but that should never be the impetus behind our support for a candidate. He is a trusted and valued contributor to our community whose skills and cooperative ethic continue to be an asset.

What I am trying to say here, because I have a right to say it, is that we are on the edge of an unprecedented era. We will definitely elect a female president. Talent and initiative have brought us past the problem of whether gender is going to determine our vote in that regard; hopefully, we'll have other opportunities to question that problem. We may, however, elect three domestic and international cultural and political organization leaders who have proven themselves dedicated to democratic leadership, vision, action, commitment, and cooperation. These leaders all stepped forward after being asked by a number of people, and all accept the responsibility that comes with being accountable to a broad and diverse constituency. This is not the only reason to vote in this election, and it is not the only way we can vote. It is, however, the way that I, as one student who feels a need to put my political capital where my mouth is, want us to go as a community. This campaign is a sign that we could go in that direction. But I wanted to let you know this is happening for one reason above all else: these people will do for us what needs to be done within or without the power of MCSG. But power matters.

Vote. Make it happen.

Supported by Bridges, Adelante, BLAC, ASA, PIPE and the hopes of a dedicated coalition of their peers and allies.