Harris-Perry's second imperative — be silent — was especially provocative coming from a woman who made her living talking on television, and who acknowledged that her MSNBC staff 'probably just fell out of their chairs, because I know they didn't even know I could be silent.' The distinction she drew was between being silenced (having something to say but no one will listen) and choosing to be silent (exercising the other part of voice). As a feminist trained at a women's college, Harris-Perry understood that women's education is 'very much about finding your voice — about learning to speak, about speaking with confidence.' But she argued that silence and voice are not opposites; they are partners. Your voice 'sounds like something in comparison to the silence.' Without silence, speech becomes noise. She also connected silence to privilege. As Wellesley graduates, her audience now held degrees that conferred authority. 'When you choose to be silent in the face of those who have less privilege,' she said, 'you undermine the idea that only people with certain degrees and certain certifications have a right to speak.' Sometimes the most powerful use of your voice is to make room for someone else's.