Sunday Afternoon

Some weeks zoom along. Drive to work on Monday morning and then, shazam, it's Friday's happy hour. Others drag along and one would swear that Monday and Tuesday had more than 24 hours and by Wednesday you're praying for Friday. You feel totally beat up by the the time the weekend arrives.

This past week passed at warp speed. I can't believe it is Sunday morning, there's a cup of coffee by side, the laptop is fired up, and I'm visiting with you. We were here just yesterday. I'm sure of it!

Last Sunday, I saw the movie "Nelly Don: A Stitch In Time." She had a fascinating role in the fashion industry in the early to mid-1900s. She also was married to James Reed, a Missouri U.S. Senator and former Kansas City Mayor, was kidnapped, had a "secret love child," went through a divorce, made lots of money, at one time employed more than 1,000 women, was well liked and admired, and lived to 102. The producers plan to take it to film festivals nationwide. Be watching for it! More information about Nelly Don is available at the Kansas City Public library.

Next on the agenda was a visit to the American Jazz Museum, which shares a site with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Specifically, I went to see the special exhibit "The Nazi Olympics: Berlin 1936." You can see the exhibit online, but don't miss visiting it in person if it comes to your neighborhood.

The exhibit marks the 70th anniversary of these Olympic Games. It is organized and circulated by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, which I visited while on a June work trip to D.C.

"The 1936 Berlin Olympics were a crucial moment in history, when the world chose to ignore the ruthless racial policies of the Nazi regime, policies clearly in conflict with the Olympic movement.... The exhibit explores themes of racism, antisemitism, propaganda, the indoctrination of youth, and international responses to Nazism. It also recognizes the accomplishment of athletes like Jesse Owens ...."

Interestingly, the Berlin Games were the first to have an Olympic Torch Run from Greece. At these games there were 18 black U.S. athletes competing, winning 14 of the 56 medals awarded to the U.S team. Celebrated at the games for challenging the Nazi ideals of race, they came home to segregation and prevalent racism in the U.S. Thirteen Jewish athletes, regardless of nationality, received medals in 1936.

By the way, last Sunday, Aug. 13 was the anniversary of when the Berlin barriers were closed in 1961 between East and West Berlin.

Today, I expect to stay home all day.