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Loving - The Movie. A beautiful portrayal of a forgotten civil rights story

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Ruth Negga (2 nd from right) stars as Mildred and Joel Edgerton (right) stars as Richard in Jeff Nichols LOVING, a Focus Features release. Credit : Ben Rothstein / Focus Features   Mildred Jeter and Richard Loving grew up in the rural unincorporated town of Central Point, Virginia. They met in high school, spent time together, and eventually, when Mildred became pregnant, decided to marry. But this was the 1950’s and Mildred was African American and Richard was white. Virginia had anti-miscegenation laws which made their marriage illegal. How did these two young people get beyond Jim Crow and fall in love? Well that had a lot to with Central Point VA. Central Point was and is still a very rural area. At a distance of about 90 miles south east from Washington DC it was community with a history of poor farmers, black and white, ignoring the rules of segregation, living together. According to a 2012 article in the Washington Post , Central Point and Caroline Count...
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Three Museums in Alfama, Lisbon

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Eletrico 28 in Alfama Lisbon is a city built on hills. While its Baixa neighborhood sits in a valley, it is surrounded be steep climbs on either side. In the past two weeks we have explored Chiado and Bairro Alto to the west. This week we are going to look to the east of downtown, to the Alfama neighborhood. Before I got to the twisting streets of Alfama , I had the opportunity to ride Lisbon’s Metro system. One thing that I noticed right away was that, just like in New York City, riders there were mesmerized by their phones, ignoring everything and everyone around them. I exited the Metro at Terreiro do Paço, the Palace Square station, and its ferry terminal. The terminal was constructed in 1931, and its art deco style was highlighted during its 2011 renovation.   Terreiro do Paço Ferry Terminal Praça do Comercial Cais do Colunas Alfama is one of Lisbon’s oldest neighborhoods, dating back to the days of Moorish control of the city. It sits along the slope between the Tagus River a...
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Location: Alfama, 1100 Lisbon, Portugal
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Lisbon's Bairro Alto and Carmo Archeological Museum

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  The old center of Lisbon is divided into three sections. There is Baixa, which occupies a valley between two hills. To the east is a hill which is covered by the Alfama neighborhood. To the west are the Chiado and Bairro Alto neighborhoods, and that is where my travels have taken me this week. My morning began at the Carmo Archeological Museum . In 1423, the Carmelite Sisters opened a monastery on the hillside of Chiado, overlooking Baixa. In 1755 Lisbon was struck by a major earthquake (7.7 or greater), which destroyed most of the buildings in Lisbon, including the chapel of the Carmo Monastery. By the early part of the 19th century, the monastery had been taken over by the Portuguese National Military Police. In 1864 the chapel was gifted to the Association of Portuguese Archeologists, who turned it into a museum. They took on the task of rebuilding and restoring the facade and walls of the chapel. They made to decision to not repair the roof of the chapel, which had completely...
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Location: Largo do Carmo, 1200-092 Lisboa, Portugal
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