(re-run) When I was six, the one black boy in my elementary school was in my class. His name was Teddy. This was white-white-white Iowa in the 60s. My first grade teacher, Mrs. Van Cura, got angry at the class one day for misbehaving and said, “Whoever doesn’t behave will have to play with Teddy… Continue reading The Racist, the Ficus Tree, and my Garage Sale
Category: racist
The Bad-date Picnic
(re-run) Laurie graduated college and had boomeranged back home to Seattle. She met a cute guy with horn-rimmed glasses. He invited her on a picnic at the beach. She said yes. “Have fun,” her mom said when Greg came to the house. Greg drove to a sandy spot with a view of the city. They… Continue reading The Bad-date Picnic
The Country on Fire
(re-run from the summer of 2020) The country is on fire. Protestors have been gathering for three days now, just one week after George Floyd died while a police officer kept his knee on his neck until he was asphyxiated. George had used a counterfeit twenty dollar bill at a store. A 17-year-old girl filmed… Continue reading The Country on Fire
With Six You Get Eggroll
My, how times have changed. The movie name in my title came out in 1968, and it’s a reference to how having a family of six can benefit you at a Chinese restaurant. Two of my kids are bi-coastal, having grown up on one coast and now working on another. They are quick to call… Continue reading With Six You Get Eggroll
The White Savior as Unintentional Racism
In a matter of two weeks, I’ve seen characters in two novels have white women rescue children of color from food insecurity. One of them is Dana Sue on the lovely Netflix series called Sweet Magnolias, based on the books of the same name by Sherryl Woods, a white woman. The show was recommended for… Continue reading The White Savior as Unintentional Racism
The Bad-date Picnic
(re-run) Laurie graduated college and had boomeranged back home to Seattle. She met a cute guy with horn-rimmed glasses. He invited her on a picnic at the beach. She said yes. “Have fun,” her mom said when Greg came to the house. Greg drove to a sandy spot with a view of the city. They… Continue reading The Bad-date Picnic
The Bad-date Picnic
(re-run) Laurie graduated college and had boomeranged back home to Seattle. She met a cute guy with horn-rimmed glasses. He invited her on a picnic at the beach. She said yes. “Have fun,” her mom said when Greg came to the house. Greg drove to a sandy spot with a view of the city. They… Continue reading The Bad-date Picnic
The Day Grandma Got Woke
(re-run) My mom loved to watch Ellen. It’s usually fun and games, with hunky guys and Ellen playing tricks on her guests and staff. She rounded out the hour with lesbian jokes, a musical performance by some obscure band, and Ellen surprising some needy but giving person with $10,000 in cash. Then the death of… Continue reading The Day Grandma Got Woke
Worst Professor Ever
(re-run) She taught the research class at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. I needed the course to earn my master’s degree. It would be easy. I’d written dozens of research papers at Iowa State. She said we could choose any topic. All we had to do was take a position, defend it with an… Continue reading Worst Professor Ever
The Day Grandma Got Woke
(re-run) My mom loves to watch the daytime talk show called Ellen. It’s usually fun and games, with hunky guys and Ellen playing tricks on her guests and staff. She rounds out the hour with lesbian jokes, a musical performance by some obscure band, and Ellen surprising some needy but giving person with $10,000 in… Continue reading The Day Grandma Got Woke
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 