It seemed appropriate with the upcoming election to be reading this week about Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.
On our latest Raleigh Ramble, we stopped by the Raleigh Capitol and admired some historic architecture. Add in a good meal and the result is a most satisfying combination of food for mind and body.
RECENT READING
MEMORABLE BIOGRAPHY: Lovely One by Ketanji Brown Jackson
In Lovely One, the newest Supreme Court Justice and the first Black woman justice provides an intimate account of her upbringing and her career. It is both poignant and heartwarming. Ketanji Brown Jackson’s parents bore the scars of pre-civil rights days. But they were smart and determined individuals who became schoolteachers. They instilled strong values in their daughter, gave her an important appreciation of her African heritage, and spurred her to do her best and excel.
Jackson shares her experiences of frequently being the only Black person in her classroom or workplace. While popular in high school, and both a class leader and a star on the debate team, she was always conscious of her difference. Although she had studied in largely white environments, her first year at Harvard without any family nearby was hard and isolating. Nonetheless, she excelled, later returning to Harvard for her law degree and serving as an editor on the Harvard Law Review.
Meeting Patrick Jackson, husband to be, was transformative for her. Together they faced the challenges of an interracial marriage between two individuals from very different social classes and navigated the complexities of demanding, high-powered careers. Jackson is candid about the stresses of motherhood while working in a big law firm with a husband putting in his own long hours in surgery.
I found this memoir more personal than others I’ve read about public figures. I particularly enjoyed learning about Jackson’s various mentors from her high school debate coach to the judges she worked for, to her stint as a clerk to Justice Stephen Breyer. She is generous in her accounts even while occasionally noting someone’s shortsightedness.
Overall, this is a very good read and gives one a fuller appreciation of what is required to be an effective judge. Recommended! (~JWFarrington)
RALEIGH RAMBLE #3
AROUND THE CAPITOL
This week our short ramble, Abroad at Home, included historic architecture, a fun shop, and food. We started outside the North Carolina Capitol building and noted its soaring World War II memorial.
Across from the Capitol is the history museum (on the list for a future visit) flanked by various banners including this relevant one about voting.
Walking on, I was impressed by two churches in different architectural styles. First Baptist Church, organized in 1812, opened in 1859 in a Gothic Revival style building designed by English architect, William Percival. This cream stuccoed building is scored to give it the appearance of stone. Its lovely spire is 160 feet tall.
Just down the block, also on Salisbury St,. is the red brick First Presbyterian Church. Established in 1816, this church building, although renovated several times, dates to 1900. It has a very present bell tower and is in the Romanesque Revival style.
In our stroll, we also encountered Deco, a slightly funky colorful shop with everything from greeting cards to occasional dishes and the like, and Lucettegrace, a welcoming patisserie with punches of yellow. I bought several cards in Deco, and the Chief Penguin succumbed to some treats for breakfast at the bakery.
TAPAS FOR LUNCH
On our way to our lunch destination, we took a slight detour and purchased toffee at Videri Chocolate Factory.
Lunch at an outside table at Barcelona Wine Bar in the Dillon was all we had hoped it would be. A warm welcome and efficient waitstaff— even to the point of arranging umbrellas to ward off the noontime sun! Plus, a fun menu of choices. We are not particularly fond of brunch, so were pleased to find tapas that didn’t include eggs.
The patatas bravas, a must order for the Chief Penguin, was a generous plateful. We loved the piquillo peppers stuffed with goat cheese, the spiced beef empanadas, and the ham and manchego croquetas. We also sampled the salt cod bunuelos (round fritters on a chive aioli). Add in a glass of red or white Spanish wine and you have a very tasty meal!
We miss our favorite tapas restaurant in Manhattan (closed after Covid) and are delighted to have this gem close by!
TRICK OR TREAT!
Note: All unattributed photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)
