Cincinnati Fun

Stephanie's bathroom - a delight in purple

Stephanie’s bathroom – a delight in purple

An Eye for Color

Stephanie, the friend I’m staying with  in Fort Thomas, Kentucky, has an amazing eye for color and decor. When I asked her if she’d trained in art or design, she said, “No, but we always talked about design and color at home. My grandfather was an interior designer!”

She has other bird feeders besides the one for the hummingbird that I shared last time. Now I’m watching a cardinal taking turns with a little pack of chickadees on another feeder.

In the cozy upstairs bathroom that my sister and I are sharing, she has painted the walls above the bead board a deep purple, the color of eggplant. She has stacked fluffy rolled bath towels in a range of colors, from cream to light lavender to darker purple.

A picture of irises that looks like a watercolor but is a photograph, beautifully treated by a friend, is on one wall. On another is a lovely design of purple hydrangea blossoms. And a dramatic piece of amethyst is on the back of the wc.  The whole effect is subtle and lovely!

Symbol of White Supremacy at Yale

My most recent issue of the Yale Alumni Magazine has an article about the name of one of its residential colleges. John C. Calhoun, class of 1804, was a staunch supporter of slavery. I don’t know when his name was attached to the college.

With the controversy this summer over the Confederate flag in South Carolina there has been renewed discussion about having his name removed.

The article said, “Last year, at a reunion of Calhoun alumni, a panel discussion considered the name and whether it should be changed. Then-master Jonathan Holloway ’95PhD, who is black and teaches African-American history, argued that the name should remain ‘as an open sore, frankly, for the very purpose of having conversations about this. I’ve seen too many instances where Americans have very happily allowed themselves to be amnesiac and changed the name of something and walked away.’”

But he seems to be reconsidering. Holloway is now dean of Yale College. He says he, “sees with alarm our national propensity to forget ugliness for the convenience of the modern movement, but the citizen in me just keeps seeing example after example of an inability to imagine that African Americans have a humanity that ought to be respected.”

Yale is keeping its options open with no commitment on the issue for now.

Should Yale change the name of Calhoun College?

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Aiken New Tech High School

Aiken 8th graders, enthusiastic after the talk!

Aiken 8th graders, enthusiastic after the talk!

I spoke on Friday morning at Aiken, where my new friend Sheila had made the arrangements. The hundred or so 8th graders were well-behaved most of the time, and I would guess the majority were paying attention. Some were really interested! The teachers were very enthusiastic.

I was presented with an Aiken Falcons shirt!

And welcome to the new blog subscribers from Aiken!

Joseph-Beth Booksellers 

Books on display at Joseph-Beth Booksellers

Books on display at Joseph-Beth Booksellers

The talk at Joseph-Beth is tomorrow Tuesday. I drove there today with my sister to scope out the setting! They have a big poster of my memoir cover on their front door.

Inside they have books stacked near the spot where I will speak.

Before the talk a group of classmates from my Highlands High School is gathering at Panera. I’ll join them for a few minutes beforehand.

Maybe my English teacher and his wife will come, though I already saw them at their home on Friday. I’ll post their picture next time.

Author: Catherine Onyemelukwe

Author, blogger, speaker. Born in New York, grew up in mid west United States, lived in Nigeria for 24 years, back in U.S. since 1986. Advocate for racial justice.

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