Let me let you in on a little secret: this job, my show here on @CNN wasn’t originally supposed to be mine. More than a decade ago, an anchor suddenly departed CNN leaving this gaping hole in the afternoons…
The then-bosses quickly turned to me and said: “Brooke, we’re going to need you to keep the seat warm just for a week until we actually find the person who will take over this show.” Well guest what? I have kept this seat warm for nearly 11 years.
You and I have witnessed history together. From marriage equality to the pandemic, the Women’s March to Me Too, natural disasters and senseless shootings. And now we wait for justice in a trial where another Black man in America has died at the hands of police.
This job… using my voice… for over a decade… has been nothing short of a profound privilege.
And so to you at home, thank you.
Thank you for trusting me.
Thank you for holding me accountable.
Thank you for all the love. I’m reading every single one of your DMs.
And to my @CNN family…my CNN huddle:
This is the hardest part.
Thank you for making me better.
Thank you for pushing me.
Thank you for believing in me and my big “backflip off the high dive” today.
A decade ago I didn’t even know this show would become mine...
And now a decade later, I find myself in a similar spot — not totally knowing what’s next.
And... I’m okay with that.
What I do know: I’m a journalist and a storyteller for life.
Lastly, I’m leaving this place even better than I found it.
I’m borrowing a line from the leaders of the US Women’s National Team… as told to me by @mPinoe when I recently interviewed her for my book, Huddle.
She said it started with @MiaHamm. And then @AbbyWambach and eventually her — fighting for what’s right, fair and equal for the next generation of women soccer players. When these women left the team, they urged the remaining players to leave the team better than they found it.
To relate that to TV: When I saw the women White House correspondents for TV and print, one after another, standing up to ask President Biden a question at his first press conference, I was on my feet in my office cheering them on. SO many women. Black, white, brown. PROGRESS.
We do need diverse voices telling our stories. From in front of the camera to the executive suites. We’re making progress. Whatever industry you’re in, my parting words: get uncomfortable, speak up and keep pushing.
being black in america is being told you can’t come inside of an establishment because you have on sweatpants but you can sit outside, and as you sit outside you watch white people walk smoothly inside with sweatpants and hats to the back. dont support TheAshFord in JerseyCityNJ