Ain’t No Mountain High Enough!
Dave Caplan is one of the singers in this fabulous video! He is in the choir with me at The Unitarian Church in Westport. He said it was really fun to do! I think that’s obvious!
Africa Day
I was surprised to read in the Brittle Paper blog this morning that today is Africa Day! Who knew? Did you?
Africa Day, May 25, commemorates the founding of the Organisation of African Unity. At that time its mission was to fight against colonialism and apartheid. Today the renamed African Union celebrates “the progress that Africa has made, while reflecting upon the common challenges. . .”
https://brittlepaper.com/2020/05/celebrate-africa-day-with-these-13-under-the-radar-african-books-published-in-the-1960s/
Brittle Paper put together a list of 13 books published by less-well-known African authors during the 1960s to honor the day. I looked through the list and didn’t recognize any of the writers.
But I did recognize one of the translators: my friend Marjolijn de Jager! She translated Children of the New World, by Assia Djebar (1962, trans. Marjolijn de Jager, 2005)!
I wonder how well she remembers the book and whether she would recommend it for our book group. The summary says, “Djebar is one of Francophone Africa’s most distinguished writers, and she is perhaps best known for Fantasia: or an Algerian Cavalcade (1985), the first novel in an autobiographical tetralogy that explores feminist issues alongside anticolonial and national themes.”
The review says, “The novel employs a variety of female perspectives — from wives, to students, to political organizers — to recount the role of women in the Algerian fight for independence.”
While this doesn’t sound like something I would normally choose to read, the personal connection makes it compelling for me. Let’s see what Marjolijn says!
Clem watching the parade in 2019!
Memorial Day
Did you watch the Memorial Day Concert on Sunday night? I loved Renee Fleming’s singing. The two stories of veterans were touching. And the playing of Taps brought tears to my eyes.
I especially miss my husband Clem today.
He loved Westport’s Memorial Day parade. On the day, he would willingly get up early (for him) at 8:30 so we could take chairs to sit along the parade route through downtown Westport. On the years I marched (with TEAM Westport, the church, the League of Women Voters) he watched with our daughter and her family.
Westport held a virtual parade today. He wouldn’t have cared for that!
It’s Not Obesity, It’s Slavery!
When I read that title in The New York Times today, I knew immediately what the reference was.
Sabrina Strings, the opinion writer, says, “The era of slavery was when white Americans determined that black Americans needed only the bare necessities, not enough to keep them optimally safe and healthy. It set in motion black people’s diminished access to healthy foods, safe working conditions, medical treatment and a host of other social inequities that negatively impact health.”
Obesity has been cited as one of the reasons for the huge disparity in deaths between white and black people. But obesity as a cause has not been determined. Further, she says, “According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 42.2 percent of white Americans and 49.6 percent of African-Americans are obese. Researchers have yet to clarify how a 7 percentage-point disparity in obesity prevalence translates to a 240 percent-700 percent disparity in fatalities.” (I left in the hyperlinks so you can look up the references if you want.)
Black Americans have had higher rates of chronic illnesses and lower life expectancy than whites for years, not just with the virus. Strings has researched this issue of racial disparities in health care and attitudes toward obesity. She is the author of “Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia.”
Another candidate for my book club?
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