What is the origin of “tit for tat”? What is tat? And where can I get some in order to get the former? –PK, Baltimore
You state that Cleopatra “was no more black than Shirley Temple” [August 30]. You cannot possibly know that for a fact. The proof is in your very next sentence, “No one knows what her hair, eye, and skin color were.” A truer statement would be that Cleopatra was probably no more white than Vanessa Williams. We must remember the American definition of a black person is someone with any discernable amount of African ancestry. If I were to make a sculpture of Vanessa Williams or Harry Belafonte or Johnny Mathis (all considered “black”) their features would appear to be Caucasian. I hope you get my point.
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Are you putting us on, Cecil, or do I have to point out a faux pas? Shirley Temple was black! Got married and changed her name to Shirley Temple Black!!! –Jim Schroeder, Berkeley, California
You are making a joke, aren’t you, J.?
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): illustration/Slug Signorino.
