Kobe Bryant: Say It Ain't So

I don't follow any sport, and am by no means a sports enthusiast. But I know who Kobe Bryant was, may he rest in peace.

Since I'm ignorant of anything sports related, my husband broke the news of his death to me yesterday, by prefacing it with, "Do you know Kobe Bryant?"  "Yes, the basketball player," I immediately replied, remembering his charismatic presence. Then it was a devastating blow to hear of the helicopter crash that took his life, as well as his 13-year-old daughter's life, and the lives seven other people.

Not only was Kobe Bryant one of the best in his game and a true sports legend, he was also an Academy Award winner for the best short animated film of 2017.

This was certainly news to me, so today I viewed Dear Basketball, a wonderful film and love story. It's only about six minutes long, so if you've never watched it, it's worth seeing. I'd advise to you to
have tissue handy. Watch Dear Basketball here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9saQ-4_8Csk.

Did you know Kobe Bryant won an Academy Award? Thanks for visiting and have a great week!

I Have a Dream

I did some research on Dr.Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream Speech" and learned some interesting facts about it from Wikipedia. 

Although it is one of the most memorable and powerful speeches ever made, on the evening of Tuesday, Aug. 27, twelve hours before the March on Washington where it was to be presented, Dr. King still didn't know what he was going to say.

The speech has been shown to have had several versions, written at several different times. It has no single version draft, but is an amalgamation of several drafts, and was originally called "Normalcy, Never Again."

When Dr. King did give his speech, toward the end, noted African American gospel singer Mahalia Jackson shouted to King from the crowd, "Tell them about the dream, Martin." King stopped delivering his prepared speech, and started "preaching," punctuating his points with "I have a dream."

As King waved goodbye to the audience, he handed George Raveling the original typewritten "I Have a Dream" speech. Raveling, an all-American basketball player from Villanova, had volunteered as a security guard for the event and was on the podium with King at that moment. Raveling still has custody of the original copy and has been offered as high as $3,000,000 for it, but claims to have no intention of selling it, with plans on leaving it to his children instead.

Have you ever read Dr. King's "I Have  Dream Speech" in its its entirety? If not, check it out here.

Thanks for visiting and have a great week!

California Tamale Pie

Monday seems to have come and gone this week and I forgot to post something. I spent yesterday driving from one appointment to another, a bit overcome with distraction. By the time I got home,  I had to fix dinner. Then the rest of the day seemed to fly by. I woke up this morning remembering that I hadn't posted anything on my blog.

So for the frazzled among us, here's an easy recipe for the crock pot that's really tasty! Serve with salad and you have a complete meal. Enjoy!

California Tamale Pie

3/4 cup yellow corn meal
1 cup milk
1 egg slightly beaten
1 lb lean ground beef
1 t chili powder
1/2 t ground cumin
1 t seasoned salt
1 (14 oz.) can chunky salsa
1 (16 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (2.25 oz.) can sliced ripe olives, drained
1 cup cheddar cheese

In a large bowl, mix cornmeal, milk and egg.  Stir in meat, chili powder, cumin, salt, salsa, corn and olives.  Pour mixture into slow cooker.  Cover and cook on HIGH 3 to 4 hours.  Sprinkle cheese over top; cover and cook another 5 minutes.  Makes 6-8 servings.

Have you ever had California Tamale Pie? Thanks for visiting and have a great week!

Interracial Love Gone Wrong

I'm a big fan of interracial love stories. But as with all love stories, sometimes things go wrong, as in the case of Alice Jones and Kip Rhinelander.

Here's a brief overview of the story, courtesy of Wikipedia:

In 1921, Leonard Kip Rhinelander, a member of a socially prominent wealthy New York family, began a romance with Alice Beatrice Jones, a domestic. The two met during Rhinelander's stay at the Orchard School in Stamford, Connecticut, an inpatient clinic where he was seeking treatment for extreme shyness and stuttering. 

They had a three-year romance before marrying at the New Rochelle, New York courthouse in October of 1924, not long after Rhinelander turned 21. The couple moved in with Jones' parents in Pelham Manor. Although Rhinelander didn't tell his family about the marriage, he continued to work at Rhinelander Real Estate Company.

The couple tried to keep their marriage secret, but news of it was soon announced by the press. Because of the Rhinelanders' wealth and social position, New Rochelle reporters wanted to learn about Jones' background. After they began investigating, reporters discovered that Jones was the daughter of English immigrants and her father, George, was a "colored man". 

At first, Rhinelander stood by his wife during the scathing national coverage of their marriage. But after two weeks, he gave in to his family's demands to leave Jones.  He signed an annulment complaint that his father's lawyers had prepared. The document claimed that Jones had deceived Rhinelander by hiding her true race and passing herself off as a white woman. Jones denied this stating that her race was obvious. Rhinelander later said that Jones hadn't deceived him outright but did so by letting him believe she was white.

Sad story, and it only gets worse.  To see how it ends, check out the article by Theodore Johnson III,
When One Of New York's Glitterati Married A 'Quadroon'.

I'd read about this case before, had you ever heard about it?

Thanks for visiting and have a great week!