Black And White

Couples - mostly middle-class, middle-aged and almost entirely black - gather at Washington's Lincoln Theatre for a night of adventurous soul music, the kind seldom heard on today's commercial urban radio. Of the night's acts, Baltimore's Fertile Ground is the most musically daring. The septet crafts a sound that slips in and out of jazz, R&B, Brazilian samba and African roots music. James Collins, a lanky man with unruly dreads who founded the band with lead singer Navasha Daya, addresses the crowd from his keyboards.

Four years ago, Barack Obama introduced himself to America by painting a picture of a nation that was united, somehow, in spite of itself. The pundits, he said in the keynote address to the Democratic National Cnvention, like to "slice and dice" the country: red states for Republicans, blue states for Democrats. "But I've got news for them, too: We worship an awesome God in the blue states, and we don't like federal agents poking around our libraries in the red states. We coach Little League in the blue states, and, yes, we've got some gay friends in the red states."

They got up early, joined long lines, withstood inclement weather. Some skipped school, others took off from work, more waited in record numbers for hours to make history and elect Sen. Barack Obama president, a first for an African-American in a decisive victory with the potential to transform the country. The first-term senator from Illinois overcame Sen. John McCain with a new coalition of first-time voters, women, young people, African-Americans and Hispanics, giving him the mandate to help him reform the culture in Washington and bring about changes to respond to the 85 percent of Americans who believe the country is on the wrong track.

SUFFOLK, VA. - The solid South could be cracking beneath John McCain's feet. Southern support for Barack Obama is building in states that have been reliably Republican for decades, polls show, and they might deliver a decisive verdict in next week's election. Virginia hasn't gone Democratic for president in 44 years, but it is leaning Obama's way. He holds a narrower edge in other Southern battlegrounds: North Carolina, last carried by a Democrat in 1976, and Florida, which decided the 2000 race.

Look at the picture, taken in a dime-store photo booth in 1955. What do you see? A black-and-white snapshot of black and white buddies hanging out - in black-and-white, segregated times. They seem an odd pair. One wears a wide smile, a starched shirt and a bow tie. He glows with the naivete of Barney Fife. His friend, dressed casually, is smiling, too. But his is a weathered, worldly smile, a look born, perhaps, of the day. Both men, then Baltimore Colts rookies, would leave their mark on pro sports.

While she was reviving the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People chapter in Baltimore, Lillie May Jackson was regarded as something of a screamer. She was in the face of authority so persistently that white judges, among others, kept a wary eye out for her. "Find out what Mrs. Jackson wants and get it for her," they said - or words to that effect. About all she could do to back her demands in those days was raise her voice. Black voting strength was insufficient to win concessions, and there was little, if any, black representation in government.

Darn it, I knew I should have gone to Cincinnati. I mean, I sure would have loved to have been there when Sen. Barack Obama spoke before the annual convention of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and repeatedly used the dreaded "r" word throughout his speech. The word wasn't "racism." It was "responsibility," the word that has been an Obama theme lately. The word that Obama used when he chastised irresponsible black fathers on Father's Day. The word that caused Jesse Jackson to have such a hankering for removing Obama's family jewels.

Nationally known artist, conservationist and environmentalist Kate Lord died on July 15, 1960. While living in Harford County, she illustrated books by her husband, Russell, including The Care of the Earth and Forever the Land. Together the couple published the quarterly journal The Land from 1941 until 1954. It featured fiction, essays, humor and poetry, as well as practical guides to farming and recreational gardening. Kate Lord died at the age of 70 in Havre de Grace. Source: "Russell and Kate Lord: Harford's Artists of the Land" by James E. Chrismer, Harford Historical Bulletin, Summer/Fall 2007.

Our 60-year-old house, which we've been slowly renovating, contains a guest bathroom that's in need of new wall tiles. The original floor, still in place, consists of the small black-and-white tiles that were the norm back in the '40s. And you can guess what color all the fixtures are. We'd like to retain the style that the homebuilders chose for this small but functional bathroom, even though it's kind of dull. Can you suggest ways of introducing a bit of visual fizz without altering the basic design?

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.