I’ve wanted to have this conversation with my hometown friends since I made the BIAS series on Smartest Person in the Room in 2018. I preferred to do it in person back then, but when the recent protests started over the murder of George Floyd, I asked if they would be willing to record online instead.

LaToyia Brown, Monica Pickens, Danielle Williams and I grew up in Ardmore, Oklahoma, a town that sits on I-35 about halfway between Oklahoma City and Dallas. Population 25,000. Ardmore is 63.2% White and 10.2% Black. I am white and LaToyia, Monica, and Danielle are Black. As I’m learning more about the racial divide in our country, I wanted to ask these friends about their lives in our hometown: if they experienced discrimination, what was taught in their homes and churches, and what they think about America now versus when we were kids.

I had no idea what they were going to say when I pressed record. Our conversation is vulnerable, honest, and imperfect. But the point of 10 Things To Tell You is to forge connection through conversation, and I believe that is what happened here.

I'm Laura Tremaine.

I live in Los Angeles. I'm a reader, a podcaster, a wife, and a mom.

At all times, I have (at least) 10 Things To Tell You. And I know that YOU have 10 Things To Tell.

This place is about connection, with each other and with ourselves. We can only do this by opening our eyes and seeing others and (even harder) by letting ourselves be seen.

Let’s tell our stories.

Let’s share our stuff.

I’ll go first.