Welcome to the Moth Podcast.
I'm Suzanne Rust and in this episode, in honor of Black History Month,
we'll be showcasing three stories from black storytellers, all on the universal theme of growing up.
First up, we have Whitney McGuire,
who told the story at a community and education showcase in New York.
Here's Whitney live at the moth.
I'm 13 years old and I just got off of the school bus
and I'm ascending forest green paint chipped stairs up to a forest green paint chipped porch,
being careful to avoid the cobwebs in the corners of the doorway,
and I smell the spicy sweet scent of sandalwood incense coming from the doorway.
My mom is in the kitchen mopping.
She greets me and she hands me a tattered rag and I know I'm going to get an assignment,
go wipe down the mirrors, clean the toilet, blah blah blah.
I know this ritual because we do it often.
Every Thursday at 7pm my home our home is briefly transformed
into a Buddhist community center where some of the strangest characters
from the west side of Dayton,
Ohio descend upon our living room floor to chant strange words from Buddhist sutras
and study Buddhist texts and share from their hearts their struggles and their triumphs.
Sometimes we even enjoy some good Japanese food.