Seth Forrest: A few words for the return of the Coppin Courier

As an English professor, one of my abiding beliefs is, of course, that words have power and that this power is constructed and stored over the history of sometimes centuries of usage and shifts in meaning. 

For a group of bold and brilliant students relaunching a student-driven publication here at Coppin State, the word of the moment is courier. 

Courier is most often a noun, though occasionally a verb, that refers to the deliverer of a message. Courier probably comes to English through the infusion of French, and the French word courier comes from Latin, currere, and is related to the Spanish word correr, which means “to run.” Thus, a courier is a messenger, most often one who runs and who is associated with urgent deliveries. 

This is very much a time for urgencies. You don’t need me to rehearse the crises that stand ready to block the path of progress.

New voices need to be heard, and new messages need to be delivered. The Coppin Courier will host these new voices and champion their new messages. Its writers will be fleet-footed, quick-witted, and sharp-sighted, racing out of West Baltimore with something to say, and its editors and advisors will be the west wind at their backs, urging them along on their way. 

Good luck and god spede you, our Courier.