“If you brought umbrellas, don’t forget them on the train.”
On a rainy Monday morning, my train conductor—after all his obligatory announcements about arriving at Grand Central and what track we’re on—adds this helpful reminder. This five second addition helps 500 people have a better, drier, more efficient day.
We have the microphone more than we realize: most obviously in what we say and what we don’t say, and whether we choose to follow the script that’s given to us.
But we also hold it as we walk down the street, or into a shop, or walking past our co-workers: the eye contact we do or don’t make, the people with whom we do or do not share a smile, the decision to stop for a moment and really, truly listen to another human being.
What will you do with your microphone today?
Thank you so much for this reminder today. I have been feeling called to step up to the microphone as a white woman to speak to the white community about racial justice. It’s a little scary but it’s pressing on my heart so much that I know it’s time to ACT.