Date: Saturday, 20 December 2003, at 9:32 a.m.

Romare Bearden's family left Charlotte for NY because when Romare was a baby in a baby carriage, his skin and eyes were so fair, whites would see his darker father approaching the carriage and assume he was about to kidnap a white child. I have a friend whose S.C.-born (but D.C.-married)grandmother and g'father were of different complexions, so much so that many whites assumed he was chauffering her.

Bijan