This is probably the #1 best story I've read in 2020. This is such a prime example of how humanity can step-up and show concern, compassion & understanding for one another.
JacqueRae Hill, from Dallas, Texas, has been a flight attendant with Southwest Airlines for 14 years. When the protests turned violent the night of May 29, she was overwhelmed.
"When I woke up on Friday morning, I went on social media, and that did not help the situation," Hill said in an interview with CNN.
She drove to Dallas Love Field for a flight to Panama City on Friday, praying for something. Something like hope. Understanding. Peace. Something to put a smile on her face. "It's so difficult with everything going on ... You want to be informed, you want to know. But then at the same time, my job as a service person is to provide somebody with happiness."
The flight started boarding, and Hill performed her usual safety checks, greeting passengers with a hello and a smile that her eyes had to deliver, because she was wearing a mask. "I feel stupid, I can't stop smiling, even though you can't see it."
Then she noticed one of the final passengers to board was carrying the book "White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism," by Robin DiAngelo.
"I knew the book for a while. Michael Eric Dyson wrote the foreword. It's been on my list, but I just haven't gotten it yet," Hill said.
After she finished service, she moved toward the back of the plane, where the man who was reading the book was seated, alone, next to a window, typing on his phone.
"I plopped down and said, 'Hey, how are you? So that book, how is it?'"
The two started conversing about the book. Hill recalls the man, who was white, saying, "It's our fault. We have to start these conversations."
As the man spoke these words, Hill became overwhelmed with emotion and began crying. "I know he didn't know what to do. I know I startled him. I was embarrassed. I didn't expect that. It was just a genuine moment for me, and we talked for 10 minutes."
If you've not already heard how this ends, it is AMAZING. You MUST read "The Rest of the Story":
I absolutely love stuff like this. We need each other. An ear to hear. A heart to love.
Grace & Peace & Love to you all -
Matt