Parker-Gray High School

This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending the Parker-Gray Fiftieth Reunion in Alexandria, Virginia. The event not only commemorated the class of 1965,  the last graduating class before the school closed, but it also celebrated previous graduating classes and, as one of the event organizers observed, anybody who had anything to do with the school. Reunions often have a bittersweetness about them: an opportunity to renew all acquaintances but also a reminder of loss. This is especially true in the case of my high school alma mater because with racial integration under full sway the school became a casualty. It is ironic that African American educational institutions forced to operate in society hostile to its very existence in the throes in racial segregation would become extinct under the emergence of racial integration.

Ornette Coleman 1930-2015

Ornette Coleman, the legendary alto saxophonist and composer whose innovations changed the course of music, died last Thursday.

Earl Lloyd 1928-2015

Earl Lloyd, the first African American to play in the National Basketball Association, has died. Most obituaries fail to mention that Lloyd was a 1946 graduate of Parker-Gray High School in Alexandria, Virginia.

The Big Apologist

It was only a matter of time before a black person would assume the dubious distinction of functioning as an apologist for Paula Deen's penchant for the n-word and fondness for bygone days in which black men dutifully dressed up in crisp white jackets and bow ties and served white folks. Aaron McCargo, Jr., the self-described Big Daddy on the Food Network, has come to Deen's aid:

Hey everyone. I wanted to say a few words about Paula Deen. Paula has always been very helpful and supportive throughout my career, and as her friend I'm saddened to see that she is going through a tough time right now.We are all human and we should never be quick to judge anyone. As my fans, I'm asking that you give her the benefit of the doubt as she goes through this difficult patch. Paula is in my thoughts and prayers. Much love – AMJ.

The Ridiculous

Of all the things to call a newborn child, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian have opted, as is often the wont for celebrity couples, for ridiculousness : North West.

Charles Ramsey

Kudos to Charles Ramsey for turning down offers of free food after stepping forward to assist Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight in escaping years of captivity.

Mandates

This is a letter to the editor of theWashington Examiner that didn't make the cut. It is in response to the columnist Gregory Kane's latest sottise about Barack Obama:

Re: "Don't call it a mandate", November 11th. Not surprisingly, Gregory Kane dismisses any notion that President Obama has a mandate to do anything in his second term. He writes, "Obama . . . won just 26 states and the District of Columbia. His margins were smaller in 45 of them than they were in 2008. And Obama didn't just lose 24 states. In 20 of them, he got creamed, losing to Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney by 10 percentage points or more. That's a victory, but does not indicate a 'mandate.'" Kane is reminded that George W. Bush, who defeated John Kerry in the 2004 presidential election with 62,028,285 popular votes (50.7 percent) and 286 electoral votes to 59,140,591 popular votes (48.3 percent) and 251 electoral votes, famously claimed a mandate for a host of plans, including Social Security reform, simplification of the tax code, curbing lawsuits, and fighting the war on terror: "I earned the capital, political capital, and now I intend to spend it." Mr. Bush pressed the point even further, noting "When you win, there is a . . . feeling that the people have spoken and embraced your point of view. And that is what I intend to tell Congress, that I made it clear what I intend to do." President Obama, whose margin of victory over Mitt Romney are greater than that of President Bush - 62,613,406 popular votes (51 percent) to 59,140,591 popular votes (48 percent) and 332 electoral votes to 206 electoral votes, is entitled to make a similar claim.