Who's Fascinating to You?

Closing in on the New Year. It was an eventful year for us -- the launch of our program over the air, the birth of our first TMM baby (to Planning Editor Alicia Montgomery), and we have another baby on the way ... not me, though! And there are other milestones; too personal to share, but cherished nonetheless.

To commemorate the end of the year, we've been offering conversations about fascinating people of 2007 (to us). There was no contest. It is totally unscientific ... totally a matter of impressions and interests, and folks we wanted to talk to.

We'd like to know who would be on your list.

And, we are not just looking backwards at 2007. Throughout January, we will be time-traveling -- looking back on important historical news that we think will captivate you, and looking ahead to what we anticipate will be some of the biggest stories.

Starting next week, new research about slavery in America. This will rock your world. It turns out there has been an explosion of research about the antebellum experience in America in recent years. We will acknowledge the end of the transatlantic slave trade next week, and in the weeks to come, by exploring what scholars are finding. The story did not begin, nor end, with Harriet Tubman.

Have a great weekend. Snag that last pedicure appointment before the holiday!

Michel Martin

2:49 PM ET | 12-28-2007 | permalink | comments (5) | e-mail post

 

Send us your 'Attitudes of Gratitude'

Lee, here...

Today's conversations on the Pew/NPR poll on racial attitudes make quite the dinner table/water cooler discussion. So, check them out when you have a moment, and meet us back here at the TMM blog with your personal observations on how this all plays out in your world.

Now, attitudes of gratitude.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. As we sat around the conference table recently, in one of our editorial meetings (we have them daily), we began thinking about how we might produce a Thanksgiving program with some added flavor. A few newsmaker voices came to mind that we wouldn't mind hearing from, but then, as the wheels were churning, it clicked! We really need to hear from YOU...

As the holiday approaches, we're looking for heartwarming experiences from YOU to possibly share with our audience.

So, tell us ... what are you grateful for? And, is there a particular Thanksgiving that will forever be "unforgettable" in your book?

I'll go first:

I was a college senior enrolled here in Washington, D.C. ... For whatever reason, I couldn't get home to Milwaukee for the holiday. It was cold here. I didn't have a whole lot of money, and I was not ordering from the "Great Wall" Chinese carryout on Thanksgiving (not after growing up on my parents' signature make-you-wanna-holler dishes). Well, a woman I once attended church with, her name is Lakaiya, somehow learned I was in this strange city (after three or four years, Washington was still strange to me ... still is) alone on the holiday. In a selfless act of kindness, "Kai" dropped by with an entire home-cooked Thanksgiving dinner -- a turkey, family-sized trimmings, even dessert -- all just for ME. And she didn't even expect me to share it with HER. I would have, of course. That's when she and her family truly became "family" to me. And they still are.

So, again, what influences your attitude of gratitude?

Looking to hear (read) from you...

And, Kai, thanks again.

Lee Hill

3:18 PM ET | 11-14-2007 | permalink | comments (9) | e-mail post

 

Grateful for _______.

We've had a full day, so this will be quick:

What are you grateful for?

Yes, the big day is coming up -- the national holiday -- when we are to (try) and maintain an "attitude of gratitude."

So, again, what are YOU grateful for?

Be original, be interesting, be poetic. We just might record your comments for our Thanksgiving show...

And coming up tomorrow...

The Pew Research Center, in association with NPR, has come up with some new numbers about race and racial attitudes -- among African Americans and Whites. We'll be discussing this for the next few days, along with several other NPR programs. We plan to have a range of discussions -- cross-generational, multi-racial. After the numbers are published, we want to know how this resonates with your world. Let us know...

Michel Martin

6:42 PM ET | 11-13-2007 | permalink | comments (5) | e-mail post