I had a surprisingly emotional reaction watching The Sound of Music movie recently on TV.  It reminded me of the wisdom of my late dad, Dr. Rev. Lloyd E. Marcus. Our black family of Mom, Dad, three younger siblings, and me lived in the Baltimore projects.  The atmosphere of our neighborhood was tough and violent.  Our apartment was on the sixth floor.  We were only allowed to play in the courtyard on our floor, rather than down on the street-level playground infected with drugs and thugs. When Dad broke the racist color barrier to become a Baltimore City firefighter, we moved out of the projects. In 1965, Dad took us four kids to see a movie we had not heard of, The Sound of Music.  I believe he wanted to broaden our horizons.  I don't remember my sister or two brothers being particularly impressed. I was blown away.  The wonderful music and elegant production impacted me...(Read Full Post)