My Turn?

When is it going to be my turn?

I hear this from one or the other of my twins at least once or 27 times a day. The usual issue is who gets to sit on my lap first, pick a story first, turn out the light first or even talk first. Despite an actual written schedule delineating some of these things (Aminah gets to pick story first, sit on the lap first and turn out the light on Tues., Thurs. and Sat.; William gets Mon., Wed., Fri. -- Sunday is "sit together day." And mom or dad turns out the light ... don't try to play me), we still hear it, along with the plaintive wail, you're taking too loooong.

As annoying as it is (and, yes, I can admit it, my children are sometimes annoying ... as much as I love and cherish them and pray for them), it occurred to me the other day that they are not the only ones who want to know when it's their turn.

How often did we hear this during the primary election season: whose turn is it? Black men, or black folks in general? Or white women?

Who gets to decide that?

But really, isn't it a question we grapple with anytime there's a limited resource, or the perception of a limited resource, and everybody cannot be served at once? Who gets the organ transplant, the slot at the elite college? Who gets the last seat in first class? ... On the replacement to the cancelled flight? Who gets the last seat out on the last helicopter out of the war zone?

Who deserves the chance? Who decides that?

We are grappling with this all the time, in ways that are dramatic and mundane, in things that seem utterly crucial and important only to a few.

I think about this as we head off to Chicago next week to participate in and broadcast from the UNITY convention, which is the quadrennial gathering of the four organizations of journalists of color: NABJ, NAHJ, AAJA, and NAJA. For me, as a journalist the event has always been important. It's a very rich environment for dialogue about issues in the media, a skills-building experience and a place to really enhance the quality of the rolodex. The breadth of workshops and speakers brought in by the organizations from all over the country (and this year the world) means exposure to people I might otherwise have to spend days if not weeks tracking down, if I knew about them at all.

On the other hand, as a person trying to program several shows -- a real dilemma. With thousands of journalists, hundreds of topics and issues to choose from, whose turn is it? How do you balance diversity with topic expertise with practicality (as in who is willing to get up at the crack of dawn to come to my studio, to be on the show? ... Who is a great talker, knows what he or she is talking about? And what's the mix?)

Michel Martin

5:39 PM ET | 07-17-2008 | permalink

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5:39 PM ET | 07-17-2008 | permalink