February 23, 2006

DIRECTOR'S CORNER

by TIM HARRIS

It hardly seems possible, but our first February issue marked a full year of weekly publication. Time flies. There’s plenty of credit to go around. Our readers stepped up and offered more support last year than ever to help make the change a success. Our amazing news staff —editor Adam Hyla and reporters Rosette Royale and Cydney Gillis — along with dozens of volunteers rise to the occasion every week to build a quality paper for our vendors. The front office staff has done outstanding work to offer support and dignity to the folks out on the street, and finally, the people who matter most — our vendors — are working harder and doing better than ever.

We’ve thought a lot about how to make Real Change the activist community newspaper our readers want and have focused our coverage where we can best make a difference. We’ve especially worked to broaden our coverage of immigrant communities, both because those stories too often go unreported and because immigrants in America are especially vulnerable in these challenging times. We’re working hard to build a paper that can serve as a community-wide rallying point for action.

A community in action: that’s the goal. That’s how we cultivate hope for a better future. We’re always happy to hear your ideas about how Real Change can be a more effective paper. Seriously. Call me. I’m at (206)441-3247 x202, or rchange@speakeasy.org.