Busy Berm

  Our house on Lake Norman was built in 1996 and is as modern as the date states. Since it is of the newer era, there is a sixty-foot berm between it and the house of our neighbor. There is no need to complain about such matters because that is the way things were done,

Cowardice and Racism

  In the most recent catalogue from a book seller is a gruesome, but interesting copy of a photograph taken on August 13, 1930. Nineteen-year-old Thomas Shipp and eighteen-year-old Abram Smith hang from a large tree in the center of Marion, Indiana. Lynched by a mob, the young, black men were accused of killing a

“Influences for 3 major newspapers

  In reading the list of the sixty Influencers recruited by the major newspapers in North Carolina, I did not notice any teachers or school principals. And, if I read the list correctly, only two religious leaders are present, and no law enforcement officials. The short bios are impressive, but I think the list needs

Fifty Years Ago This Summer

In many recent articles and conversations concerning the issue of NFL players kneeling during the National Anthem, their action has been compared to that of Tommie Smith and John Carlos during the 1968 Olympics. Now, I accept that football players have the right to kneel during our National Anthem in protest. That choice is, in

Letter to Mr. Mahone

  Good Day, Mr. Mahone, and welcome to Charlotte and the Charlotte Observer, your new homes, so to speak. I enjoyed getting to “meet” you through your column in the June 3rd paper. I enjoyed hearing your voice and learning of your core beliefs, but regret that Mr. Sheib was that type of man and

50th Year Letter

  By this time of the morning on June 01, 1968 our son had been born, and I imagine that you were already making plans for your return to college and getting on with your life. The pregnancy was a huge interruption to your life, and as an integral part to that, I continue to

Day Lilies and Other Nature

  In 1842 Edgar Allan Poe wrote The Masque of the Red Death, a short story about Prince Praspero and his actions to avoid the latest pestilence in his country. He invites all his friends to an isolated abbey he owns, and there they celebrate their fortunes as the rest of the country suffers. However,

A Tribute Too Late

  In September, 1968 I left my hometown in North Carolina and travelled to Maryland where I began teaching in a rural county on its Eastern Shore.  Like most recent college graduates, I was eager and knew I was ready to “change the world.” I had four years of learning behind me that I felt

Racism 101

  Attorney Aaron Schlossberg can be seen arguing with an employee at a Fresh Kitchen deli in midtown Manhattan and complaining that every member of the staff is speaking Spanish to customers when “they should be speaking English. This is America.”  Attorney Schlossberg continues, “My guess is they’re undocumented, so my next call is to I.C.E.

The Fox Inn

  Rushing out in the early morning to ride my stationary bike before the rains arrived, I was pleased to see that the sun’s rays peeked between the horizon of Lake Norman and the dark, massive cloud that covered the sky above me. Mounting the bike, I saw a golden hue that hugged the pine