Black And White

Is your organization sponsoring a Black History Month event? Don't miss out on the chance to be listed in our roundup. Send a press release to Black History Month Calendar c/o LIVE editor, The Baltimore Sun, 501 N. Calvert St., Baltimore, Md. 21278. Or fax it to 410-783-2519. Please include date of event, location, time, cost and a phone number for more information. Color and black-and-white photographs or slides are welcome but they cannot be returned. The deadline is Jan. 19.

Political scientist Andrew Hacker's best seller, "Two Nations: Black and White, Separate, Hostile, Unequal," will be the subject of the fall semester's final "Books Sandwiched In" session at noon Thursday at Western Maryland College in Westminster.Dr. Charles E. Neal, associate professor of political science at WMC, will discuss the work during the lunchtime review in McDaniel Lounge. The discussion is free and open to the public."Two Nations," published this year, asserts that the racial attitudes of white Americans are responsible for the "disconsolate" state of black life in the United States.

BLACK AND WHITE ISN'T just a classic look. It's also one of this spring's hottest trends. And Respira Medical sales rep Sara Collins pulls it off with great elan. This 24-year-old Canton resident loves taking a classic look and adding a trendy twist. How could a client refuse her? Age: 24 Residence: Canton Job: Patient account-equipment sales representative for Respira Medical Self-described style: "Classic, traditional and fun" The look: White cap-sleeve top with black trim. Black-and-white striped tulip skirt.

Do you know? How many fingers does a Colobus monkey have? Answer: Colobus monkeys have four fingers and NO thumb! Learn more! Visit the Colobus monkeys at The Baltimore Zoo. Read "Primates: From Howler Monkeys to Humans" by Erin Pernbery Swan and Sandra Hirshkowith. 1. Infant Colobus monkeys are born completely white and gradually develop their black and white markings. 2. The Colobus monkey will eat, sleep and play in the trees -- they are rarely seen on the forest floor. 3. Colobus monkeys can live upt to 20 years.

"American Work: Black and White Labor Since 1600," by Jacqueline Jones. W.W. Norton. 512 pages. $29.95.In the discussion of racial inequality in America, the most radical point that can be made is to recall our nation's history. With national debate dominated by those who hint that affirmative action programs are the only obstacle to "color blindness," it seems subversive to recall how African-Americans have been treated for almost four centuries.That is what Jacqueline Jones does in "American Work: Black and White Labor Since 1600," and her painstakingly researched volume is an invaluable antidote to those who argue that our shameful past has no relevance to our perplexing present.

I have been lucky enough to be chosen to spend three months working in Spain. I have plenty of lightweight suits to wear to the office, but for weekends, it's another story. At home in the heat, I wear baggy T-shirts and shorts for day and change into jeans for evening.My boss tells me the Spanish are quite formal in their dress. As I don't want to let him down, can you suggest what I should buy for weekend outings and casual evenings?Hot weather anywhere calls for easy dressing. So your first rule should be to keep the pieces you buy simple and comfortable.

HE WASN'T a fiery orator, litigator or politician, but Kenneth B. Clark, the psychologist, educator and longtime student of race relations, played a key role in America's civil rights fight. And almost until his death this week at the age of 90, he was a fierce force for racial integration in education and, by extension, American life and society. He enjoyed a distinguished career in New York academic circles, as a professor at City College and as the first black member of the New York State Board of Regents, trying to set high academic standards and remove achievement gaps among students long before the national trend.

Black and white is hot all over this spring. Store displays are all sporting such combos as white pants and short black jackets, bold black and white print dresses, florals, ginghams and stripes all done up in darks and lights. Black and white looks classic and pretty. Always. Don't fall into the trap of wearing a white shirt with a black bottom -- lest you look like a server. And there's no reason that your black and white has to be tailored either. We've seen some floaty numbers, such as this dress by Emma James ($79)

When friends Jan and John Braun invite you to a casual little cocktail party at their house, what do you wear? Especially when their house has been turned into the Baltimore Symphony Decorator Show House? For fellow Ruxtonite, Amy Lewis, it's black and white. Literally. This 48-year-old stay-at-home mom always gussies up a bit, and black and white is one of her favorite ways to go. Amy Lewis Age: 48 Residence: Ruxton Job: Community volunteer Self-described style: "Classic, but fun" The Look: Black and white Anne Klein cotton pique coat.

BOSTON -- Higher education has been a prime means of transporting black Americans into the economic mainstream even before the 1960s civil rights revolution. But that means may be sputtering a bit, according to recent statistics.While the enrollment of African-Americans in colleges and HTC universities has risen remarkably over the last three decades, the bulk of that growth came in the 1970s and slowed in later years. Today, some analysts see a widening gap in college attendance between black and white high school graduates.