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The barbershop

4 Jul

Rather than increase the price of  a haircut during the difficult years of the Great Depression, my father thought barbers should do a little less talking about politics, clients’ romantic exploits, etc. If he only had known that his observation that “the average barbershop might easily be seen as an ‘institution of learning and observation,’ was as true in 1934 as it is today. Perhaps he would have enjoyed the Ice Cube movies. Moreover, Harlem Hospital’s recent problems with quality of care are apparently not new.

The New York Age, January 6, 1934

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Looking back on 1933

3 Jul

The note at the end refers to Vere John, a New York Age columnist who generally appeared next to my father’s column. I’m looking out for the column on the homely” chorus girls.

The New York Age, December 30, 1933

A Yuletide reality check

2 Jul

Nobody escapes scrutiny in this Christmas column.

The New York Age, December 23, 1933

‘Our’ time in Bermuda

1 Jul

The Ellis Island record of my father’s arrival in the U.S. – his last name was “Wray” then – says he arrived from Hamilton Bermuda in 1923 at age 26. The record clearly states that he was born in Barbados, so until I found these columns I was not sure what the Bermuda connection was. Now I know! He worked for the Bermuda Colonist and Gazette, a daily, while there.

On “acting white”

30 Jun

The New York Age, December 9, 1933

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