Rajon Rondo on LZ's Cafe

Racial Injustice: The Case of Walter Lett Inspired Harper Lee

Chronology: The case of Walter Lett influenced Harper Lee in writing To Kill a Mockingbird. Here are the events of the case, and its connection to Harper Lee. The case began in November 1933. "On Thursday, November 9, 1933, the Monroeville Journal reported that Noami Lowery told authorities that Walter Lett had raped her the previous Thursday.” ( "Lee, Harper: 1926 - 2016"). Just as in To Kill a Mockingbird , the accusation alone was enough for most citizens to assume guilt. Writing for Time magazine, Daniel Levy asserts, “Such an accusation was a death sentence for an African American man. ‘Rape was the central drama of the white psyche,’ says Diane McWhorter, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Carry Me Home: Birmingham, Alabama: The Climactic Battle of the Civil Rights Revolution.” Lett was captured on Saturday and jailed in another town out of fear he’d be lynched. The legal system operated quickly. “On March 16, 1934, Lett was arraigned ...

Reflections from the Last Few Days

I’ve concentrated these posts on the travel & walking, shortchanging some other cultural observations, like food, drink, etc. As we are now headed back to Lisbon, those things may get more attention. Events elsewhere have colored our experience here. This next part is personal. Some reader may find it interesting, or in the future we may appreciate the reminder of these things. Jan & Bruce have been particularly concerned about the impact of Hurricane Helene the last few days. A couple weeks before we left & just before his 96th birthday, my dad began hospice care. We went to see him on his birthday. It was not at all clear that he was any closer to death. On our first day here we were shocked to learn that a beloved friend since college died due to consequences of cancer. Our thoughts the first two days were on Terry, her family, and our mutual friends. She was active, adventurous, loving, fun, and until last spring, healthy. She’s on the left in this photo. Thursday, Dad’...

On the way: Portland to Porto

We got a ride to the bus station from our friend Heather. The bus driver surprised those paying attention by passing the usual exit for Logan. Someone actually went forward to ask him. So he got on the mic to explain about construction. The Logan time was the usual stand in a line, then go to another line, then wait until time for the next line. The flight was uneventful. Passport control was a long line. Our bags were waiting on the carousel. No Customs. Bought Metro tickets & took a 3-stop ride to Oriente station in Lisbon. Found the ticket window for the train, and —this is like 14 hours into travel on maybe 3 hours of sleep— hit our first real speed bump. The next train to Porto we could get tickets on wasn’t for four more hours. Four hours to explore Lisbon a little while hauling our suitcases. We walked through a mall, down to the water, and along the shore, around an arena and a stadium and a row of restaurants and bars to a little stand-alone organic market cafe, then back ...

Bends Toward Justice

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