A Note from Fig

In the second week of May, our team finalized the summer issue of Fig Columbia by adding in my Letter from the Editor, and off it went to print. This issue is dedicated to our small business community with the theme of South Carolina’s state motto, “Dum Spiro Spero,” which translates, “While I Breathe, I Hope.” The theme was extremely fitting since this issue was being developed as the COVID-19 pandemic, and the respiratory problems of the virus, rapidly spread throughout our country. Even more so, the theme was a fitting reference to the negative impacts of COVID-19 on our small business community, with our resilience and hope.

We are very proud of this issue. We are so proud of it that we released our cover several weeks ago on May 18, along with t-shirts and posters of the cover design, selling these with a portion of the proceeds being donated to the One SC FUND: COVID-19.

Today, our Dum Spiro Spero issue of Fig Columbia hits mailboxes across the region, and I want our beautiful community to know that we had no idea that the theme of our summer issue—“Hope”—would be so relevant during the recent developments of the #icantbreathe and #blacklivesmatter movements. These two crises each ask something very different from us: one asks us to remain apart, keep our distance, and move slowly. The other requires the exact opposite, for us to come together as one nation.

In Columbia—and across our country—communities are grieving, crying out for a change in the face of racial injustice. The protests and vigils that continue have drawn our city close in solidarity, masked for safety against the pandemic that continues. We are proud to be a part of a community that is coming together with empathy and dedication, to listen, to learn, and to commit to action.

Love,
Brynley Farr and the Fig Columbia Team

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