Everett Jenkins Birthday Blog

  8888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888 Alphabetical Index 2022 9/11 Remembrance Day - A00067 A Day at the Beach with God - A00229 A Day with Bernadette, A Few Moments with Moses the Ethiopian - A00063 A Day with Bernadette ... and the Lady - A00144 A Full Card Table of Black Economists - A00163 A Happy Fourth of July Dancing Under the Stars - A00167 A Meditation on John Coltrane - A00197 A Most Memorable Date - A00276 A Most Profound Thich Nhat Hanh Memorial  A00113 A Musical Meditation on Rumi A00180 A Poker Game in Heaven - A00155 A Return to Allensworth: From a Field of Weeds to a Field of Dreams - A00149 A Return to Disneyland, A Return to Tomorrowland - A00218 A Return to Montserrat and a "Miraculous" Introduction to the Black Madonna - A00145 A Side Trip to Dublin and an Exploration of Black Irish Roots - A00146 A Special Thank You to Hugh Price and An Expression of Great Gratitude to the Alphas and Omegas - A00356 A Special...

The next two names on my Memorial List are David Willis Utz and George Costin Williams, both of the Amherst College Class of 1929.  Unfortunately, aside from the fact that both gentlemen were from the illustrious Dunbar High School and that George Williams majored in German and History, nothing more is known about either gentleman.  If anyone has any recollection of these individuals, please let me know so that I can update the College's information. After leaving the members of the Class of 1929, I arrive at the lone African American member of the Class of 1930, Joseph Clarence Chambers, Jr.  Clarence, as he preferred to be called, did leave a mark on this world. Set forth below is the In Memory piece written by his nephew upon his passing in 2006 at the age of 96. Please note that unlike other African Americans during that time who usually came to Amherst a year or two older than their classmates, it appears that Clarence was barely 16 years old when he matriculated at ...

Bob, As always, I tend to look to you to provide some guidance.  What is Black?  And who is Black?  Recently, PBS highlighted a new work by Danzy Senna Danzy Senna - Wikipedia In talking about her literary career, Ms. Senna, who is the wife of Percival Everett, explained that even though she looks white, she has always identified as Black because being Black is the only category that encompasses everyone from the person with one drop of black blood to the darkest of people from the African continent.  Also, her Black racial identity appears to have been drilled into her consciousness by her African American father.   At this stage of life, I try not to judge those who have passed for white nor do I judge those who may be acting white since I do not know what the standards for being black are and because, who knows, at times, I might be accused of acting white myself. What I do know is that with such a diverse range of shades and racial perspectives, it seem...

For the Indigenous People holiday, I went to visit my daughter and her new husband in their new hometown of Post Falls, Idaho.  Driving from the Spokane Airport along I-90, I recalled so vividly how just nine years ago, we had traveled this road from Montana to begin a new life in Spokane. There was no job waiting for her and she knew no one there.  But she had her ttwo dogs and she had her two diplomas, so she did not have nothing.   Now, nine years later, she had a new husband, a third diploma, a house in Spokane and a new house in Post Falls.  It simply amazed me to remember those times from nine years ago to the time of today and I could onlly marvel at how God sometimes does do some wondrous things. I do not have much money.  I do not have great fame.  But being with my daughter and her husband over the weekend as we all three dined at two great restaurants in next door Coeur d'Alene and as her husband and I played the Highlands Golf Course in Pos...

Reading about the success story of the Cardozo Sisters and the success they were able to achieve by, at times, passing for white caused me to pause to think about a practice that has played a historical role in my family and, perhaps, a psychological role in me.   I had not thought about Passing in any detail in recent years, so I went to Wikipedia and read this rather comprehensive article on the multi-cultural, multi-racial practice of Passing through time up to today.   Passing (racial identity) - Wikipedia I also took a look at a related concept ... the concept of acting white Acting white - Wikipedia In reading the bios for many of the Black men of Amherst during the early years of the 20th century, one cannot escape the fact that most of the "Black" men were fair skinned individuals, and almost all of the "Black" men were adept at navigating in a white world ... and did so with great success. I must admit that I reserve judgment on any individual who decides t...