One of the reasons I left TV news was that it was getting too close to  home. It was getting too close to me.

I went to a funeral home to cover the services for a story and saw the name of a woman who had been a big part of my childhood on the little letter board. I did not even know she had passed and her funeral was that same day. I had to tell my photojournalist to wait for me outside while I went in another room and cried.

When visiting the House of Correction for a story, I saw young man I knew from Sherman Park. He  was happy to see me and when his fellow inmates asked how he actually knew me, he said "We play tennis together".

I went to court one day for a story about a man who was causing some trouble in Milwaukee. As he was led out of the courtroom he nodded at me in that simple gesture that all Black people recognize. He had gone to my high school.

When called to the courthouse for jury duty I went because it is my responsibility as a citizen. As I walked through the hall, the defendant was coming out of the courtroom with his lawyer. He waved at me and said "I'm glad you are on my jury!".

Every few months I would meet someone my father had helped get a job or get into college. He worked for the Urban League. I was always proud to hear how he had helped them and appreciated them telling me.

But, I'm glad I'm out of the news business now because I friend of mine was recently murdered and I don't think I could have read his name on the air. You have to separate yourself from the stories you cover or read when you are an anchorperson, but it was all getting too close.

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