It’s Time to Give a Throw: Raising Humanity Through Forgiveness, Empathy, Compassion, and Kindness (Book by Chase Ebert, with Foreword by Tamron Hall) | Chaz’s Journal

When I recently published my book I reached out to my friend, Tamron Hall, the award-winning talk show host of “The Tamron Hall Show.” Showing her generosity, she agreed to write the preface. I wondered about some of the obstacles she faced when she first came to Chicago as a reporter and broadcaster. Tamron is smart, beautiful, friendly and hard-working. I had no idea that she was not accepted as such in the beginning. Her story told me that when it seems like a person has everything going for them, a kind word or act of kindness can make all the difference. Here, in his own words, is his story. ,Chaz Ebert

Preface, By Tamron Hall

Long before the days of becoming the first black woman to host the Today Show or premiere the Tamron Hall Show, I arrived on the doorstep of Chicago. It was August 31, 1997, and I had accepted a role as a reporter at Fox News station WFLD, directly on the Magnificent Mile in the middle of the city. I was twenty-seven years old and swimming in fear.

Apart from a brief inside-out interview to secure the role, I had never been to the city and did not have a single personal acquaintance there. Since college, I’ve been happily working as a reporter in my hometown of Dallas-Fort Worth – a place where I
Always assured of being surrounded by the love of friends and family. My parents had dropped me off at the Dallas airport that morning. Everything about arriving in Chicago terrified me, as I stood there with my only suitcase and my cage
The cherished cockatiel bird.

During the ride from the airport, my taxi driver asked me why I was in Chicago. I told him that I had come there to be a reporter. “Good luck! It’s a tough town,” he said reluctantly. He then added that I should expect to gain a lot of weight and drink a lot of alcohol. There I was, the taxi wheels propelling me on my journey. were, yet I felt completely numb
Fear that things won’t work out. Then the news of Princess Diana’s death hit the airwaves and was enough to push me straight over the edge. I completely regretted the decision to move to Chicago.

Trying to keep both feet firmly planted, I remembered what a dear friend and fellow member of the National Association of Black Journalists told me when he said I should take a job there. “Chicago is going to make a new star out of you,” he expressed very confidently. It was a “news city” and a place that supported black women and journalists.
Oprah Winfrey called the city her home, as did Alison Payne, Dianne Burns, and Robin Robinson—distinguished black female journalists known across the country—all making their mark there. why not me?

The fear of failing in the Windy City didn’t leave me, yet I tried to keep the confidence going through the first few weeks of my new role. At lunchtime, I would sometimes wander around the Magnificent Mile and go to the food court in the Water Tower building on Michigan Avenue – a place that took on a whole new meaning for me one Tuesday. while holding a
Quickly, I could sense that a black woman behind the counter was staring at me. Then she stepped forward and said, “You’re the new black girl on Fox 32.”

“I am,” I said.

“Oh, we see!” She responded with enthusiastic kindness and ownership, making me feel as if a loved one had come forward to embrace me in the biggest way possible. Like the radiant North Star, this human being gifted me the most beautiful act of kindness and hope. This gave me the confidence I needed to stay in Chicago.

Within a few months, I had started building a reputation in the city. When a Fox News morning anchor was fired due to a controversial decision by the WFLD news director, I was offered the role. The journey from reporter to anchor should have been a memorable moment in my career, but it was marred by the fact that I had to remove someone to make room for the move. Yet another happy moment was crushed, just as the taxi driver had sternly warned me about Chicago being a tough city the day I set foot in the city. If this wasn’t enough to weigh heavily on my heart, a local reporter quoted
I look like Halle Berry. Every act of kindness I had experienced since landing in Chicago was instantly erased by that powerful moment of rejection and not being seen for who I was. Maybe it was time for me to go back home to Texas.

Then Chaz and Roger Ebert got an unexpected invitation to attend a Fourth of July gathering at their summer home just outside New Buffalo, Michigan. Throughout my career, I had watched Roger Ebert and WGN, and Siskel and Ebert became the epitome of what Chicago meant to me. I was convinced that Chase and Roger had to
Made a mistake and mixed my name with someone else’s. I met him only once, during a film screening at the Lake Street Screening Room near Michigan Avenue. There was no way they would know who I was.

Regardless, like a detective chasing good leads, I decided to brave the unknown.
Drive an hour to Herbert’s wild beauty, where I arrived at his brick Tudor home, sitting on the shore of Lake Michigan. There were miles of parked cars, an outdoor band stand with Motown music animating those on the dance floor, and a crowd of three hundred guests easily passing through. Like the day I stepped outside O’Hare Airport to mark Chicago as my new home, I felt completely overwhelmed. First stop: the wash room to collect my thoughts. I didn’t expect what I would find within its walls.

Two figurines sat on the washroom counter: one of a black woman and one of a white man.
“I am their child! If they had a child, it could have been me!” I thought to myself about Chase and Roger. Those two little ceramic creations gave me enough of the feeling of support I needed to go out and be with everyone with confidence. It’s hard to explain completely
A sudden wave of reassurance, however, when I walked outside and saw Chase as the most gracious host, everything made sense. She was hanging out there and making everyone feel seen and cared for. I felt a tremendous sense of welcome and kindness from them. What surprised me most was that from a city that was known as a hard-news town, Chase and Roger were featured among countless locals as well as the Chicago Sun-Times, the Tribune, ABC, Brought together people from CBS, NBC, WGN and Fox. Writer, filmmaker, and friend. And everyone seemed to be having a great time.

Trying my best to blend in incongruously, I said hello to familiar faces as Chase made sure to introduce me to people I didn’t know. Then I saw her – the writer who said I looked like Halle Berry. My heart sank once again. If I had not been stunned at that moment, I probably would have run away. Then Roger spoke to him directly. “No one wants to be compared to anyone else. This is not fair,” he said. It was such a powerful act of loving support that it made me feel as if my new-found “parents” were rooting for me. I felt more grounded and at home because that defining moment made me recognize that the good things that were happening to me were meant to spread good things to other people. This became a turning point in my decision to live in Chicago. Till then, the pinnacle of my career success of becoming an anchor was feeling hollow, yet in a miraculous moment, that hole was filled with true unconditional compassion and love. Because of Chase and Roger, I feel re-energized and more purposeful about moving forward and expanding
What was given to me – and I rejected the negativity and didn’t let the negativity take away from the joy that people give us.

Years after being invited to their cookout and further strengthening our bond, I met Chase and Roger at a newsstand at O’Hare International Airport – the place where it all started for me. Life had changed for him in many ways, and Roger was in a wheelchair. Despite his struggle to express himself clearly and say few words, the compassion he always extended to me had not diminished in the slightest. Once again, they hugged me so warmly that it made it clear that my “parents” were still supporting me.

This story is not my journey alone. It is very important that we all adopt and expand this
Conversations about those magical moments where other people choose to extend the shining light of forgiveness, empathy, compassion and kindness – The FECK Principle. The tradition of joy, love and support will never go out of style, but we all have to be active participants. This is what Chaz is welcoming us to do It’s time to give a FECK,

Because of Chase, I’ve experienced firsthand why any of us should dive in and embrace the perspective of how much better our world could be. From the day we met, she reminded me of the strong women who raised me—my mother, her friends, my aunts. Their care and kindness have always made me feel at home and I can only hope
Each of us has the opportunity to meet people like Chaz in the food court or that angelic woman from my early Chicago days—who have undoubtedly made these principles a daily practice and who are constantly reminding us that any of us Don’t go this alone.

You can get your copy on Amazon today Here!