FAREWELL, TENNESSEE
A copy of my birth certificate was delivered to my doorstep recently. I’ve been waiting to receive this to start the process to get my passport.
I smiled as I opened the envelope to see the document. June 8, 1994. I was born in a hospital in Winchester, Tennessee.
And since my birth, I’ve been lucky to call Tennessee home. I’ve been to the lowest of the low and highest of highs that the Volunteer State has to offer. But sometimes a new venture calls. A new challenge presents itself. I believe that time is now.
I have accepted a new job, an incredible opportunity, in a new state. This will be my last piece as editor of the Chattanooga Times opinion page.
Before I bid you farewell, I don’t want to give you a sap story. I want to give you some advice.
GET ALL OF THE FACTS
When I was younger, in my more mischievous years, my Aunt Anne always had the best phrase to describe when she knew I was hiding something.
“You’re grinning like a crap-eating possum,” she would say, only she didn’t say “crap.”
There are a lot these possums in the world, who try to sell their crap as pound cake.
The problem is that nowadays people have gotten clever in disguising their bull. Everything now comes with an organic, farm-raised, never lab-tested label, and we are expected to take them at their word.
We go on social media and watch someone share why pasteurized milk is bad for you and are expected not to factcheck that milk, in fact, always should be pasteurized. There is bull everywhere.
The community’s bull detectors are journalists, who stay with stories to figure out what is fact and what is not.
My advice to you is to stay dedicated to the Times Free Press and other credible local news outlets in the city and beyond.
Journalists dig further into stories so that you can know all the facts and have a deeper understanding of the community, state, nation and world.
I’LL MISS YOU, TENNESSEE
I’m immensely grateful for the invaluable experiences and personal connections I’ve gained at the Chattanooga Times Free Press, and before here, the Nashville Tennessean, the Memphis Commercial Appeal and Knoxville News Sentinel. Not every journalist can say that he has worked for every major paper in the state in which they were born and raised.
I take pride in knowing that I gave my all in writing powerful, thought-provoking editorials and commentary that both challenged and represented the values of Tennesseans across this beautiful state.
I’ll miss drinking ice-cold Sundrop on a hot summer’s day. I’ll miss driving down I-24 and seeing the mountain line far away. I’ll miss getting out of church and watching the Titans play on Sundays.
As I end my goodbye, here’s one last call to action: Listen to each other.
I’ve spent the first five years of my journalistic career attempting to promote the idea that when we truly listen to each other, we become a better society. I’ve expressed that value in my work when George Floyd was murdered in 2020, when the Tennessee General Assembly created bills that were filled with bigotry, and when the entire state was coping with the tragic Covenant School mass shooting in Nashville.
Empathy sounds good, but it’s hard to capture. It’s a selfish act. You’re listening — actively and deeply — to someone and instead of rebutting them based on what you think, you’re allowing that person’s experience to be heard and felt. That’s not easy, but we must always seek opportunities to practice.
I look forward to sharing more details about my next venture with you all soon. For now, I want to again express my heartfelt appreciation, to you the reader, for being a part of this journey. I wouldn’t be half the writer I am if not for your feedback, both good and bad.
Thank you for your support and companionship along the way. Excelsior.