By SDABJ Team
A picture may be worth a thousand words but one picture is worth a thousand thank yous. Two thousand five hundred thank yous to be exact. Voice of San Diego photographer Adriana Heldiz captured an image of a local protest that epitomizes the hope most of us wish for the future. VOSD sold this photo as part of their fundraising efforts and generously offered to share their profits by making a donation to SDABJ. Thanks to all of you who saw the power in this image, VOSD is donating $2,500 to SDABJ. The money raised will go to directly to scholarships and programming for deserving students like our 2020 scholarship recipients.
2020 has proven itself to be a year for the history books. It is not often journalists lives are intimately affected by the stories they cover. COVID-19 and the demands for accountability from law enforcement in the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and countless other Black Americans have taken a toll on many journalists but Black journalists in particular. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Eyes are opening to the injustice. Adriana’s photograph speaks directly to this fact as people from all walks of life are finally recognizing what we have known all along. And they want to help.
One thousand words will never be enough to express SDABJ’s gratitude to the Voice of San Diego. It is not just the financial support for which we are thankful. It is also the recognition that diversity and inclusion in our classrooms and newsrooms allows us to work towards being the change we want to see in the world.
