I begin this counter-response to Zac Arestad’s op-ed response “Swarthmore as a college” to my op-ed “Swarthmore as a nation state” with my gratitude for the time and thought Arestad put into critiquing my arguments. I would like to thank him for
Swarthmore is an educational institution that encourages enlightenment and critical thinking. Yet, at the same time, it is mired in structural racism, patriarchy, and capitalist hegemony. We seek to make our home here and expect to find love but are perpetually rejected.