Author's Notes

I can’t believe that it has been six years since I joined the ranks of Jixemitri writers. My heartfelt thanks for giving me the opportunity to share my stories goes to CathyP for creating Jixemitri, to all the new owners, administrators, and moderators who keep that dream alive, and to those readers who continue to believe in me, even when I don’t believe in myself. I want to offer an extra special thank you to Vivian and Mary (Dianafan) for hosting my site and giving so generously of their time to provide the beautiful “clothes” for my stories. Words cannot adequately express my gratitude.

Most of this story was originally written as part of my larger work in the Butterflies Above Our Nation universe. However, something that happened to me recently created the desire tell Honey’s story alone. Please do not think that this is my story. It is not. It is Honey’s, but it has been cathartic for me to write it. And yes, I know there are a multitude of unanswered clues to other secrets in Honey’s past (and present) and I promise they will be revealed soon. I believe that Honey was a complex teenager who grew into a complex woman. Her story must be complex, too.

Once again, I hope that the reader enjoys this as much as I have writing it.

Song lyrics appearing throughout this story are from Fire and Rain, ©1970 by James Taylor (with one very minor change). While the meaning of the lyrics has been argued, it’s agreed that some of the lines refer to Taylor’s learning of the death of Suzanne Schnerr, a dear friend who dies suddenly.

The story title refers to the area in Upper West Side Manhattan where Barnard College and Columbia University are located. It has also been referred to as the "Academic Acropolis," the "Acropolis of New York," and, in the words of George Carlin, "White Harlem." Social problems in the area during the 1950’s and 1960’s prompted Columbia to purchase much of the neighborhood's real estate, leading to accusations of forced eviction and gentrification. This process reached its nadir in 1968, when protests erupted in both the neighborhood and on Columbia's campus over the university's proposal to build a gym in Morningside Park. Residents alleged that the park's proposed separate entrance for Harlem residents on the lower level of the park was segregated, and that public park space was being annexed by a wealthy private institution. The university was eventually forced to abandon the plan. This failed attempt at urban revitalization is studied in planning schools as the perfect example of what NOT to do.

Aletta Jacobs was born in the Netherlands in 1854. Trained as a pharmacist and medical doctor, she was a “pioneer” in the early feminist movement. Despite opposition from religious and political leaders, Jacobs started a national campaign to make contraception widely available in the Netherlands. In 1883 Jacobs attempted unsuccessfully to register to vote, which led to her helping to establish the Woman Suffrage Alliance in 1893. Jacobs became one of the most important international figures in the fight for universal suffrage. In April 1915, Jacobs organized the International Congress of Women in The Hague. Jane Addams was asked to chair the meeting. Afterwards, Jacobs and Addams led others to London, Berlin, Vienna, Budapest, Rome, Berne and Paris to speak with members of the various governments in Europe in an attempt to settle the Great War peacefully. Dr. Jacobs died in 1929. I thought it appropriate that a 1960’s activist have a daughter named for this influential yet not well-known woman.

Jane’s wearing Bermuda shorts on move-in day is a tribute to the Bermuda Shorts Crisis of 1960. That spring, the President of Columbia complained to Barnard’s President that Barnard students were parading across the Columbia campus in costumes “unbefitting a serious female scholar”. Some were wearing slacks. Worse, some were wearing shorts. Columbia’s President called for a dress code and the Barnard President reluctantly agreed. The Barnard Student Council dutifully did as it was told. According to the revised dress code, Barnard students could wear shorts on the Barnard campus, so long as they revealed no more than two inches of leg above the knee, but whenever these young women crossed Broadway to Columbia they would have to cover themselves with a long coat. Known as the Bermuda Shorts Crisis, this rule was still in effect in the fall of 1966.

Introducing... The Beatles is the first Beatles album released in the United States. Originally scheduled for a July 1963 release, the LP came out on 10 January 1964 on Vee-Jay Records mere days before Capitol's Meet the Beatles! It was the subject of much legal wrangling, but ultimately, Vee-Jay was permitted to sell the album until late 1964, by which time it had sold more than 1.3 million copies. It may be the most difficult Beatles’ album to obtain.

Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, encyclopedia. Its 16 million articles (over 3.3 million in English) have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world, and almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site. Wikipedia was launched in 2001 and is currently the largest and most popular general reference work on the Internet.

The New Yorker is a magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It is well known in its commentaries on popular culture and eccentric Americana; its rigorous fact checking and copyediting; its journalism on world politics and social issues; and its single-panel cartoons sprinkled throughout each issue.

Sign In, Sign Out, Flip In Flip Out were terms referring to the requirement that women college students provide information before leaving campus. While most colleges still have some restrictions for dormitory students, prior to the late 1960’s most colleges had significant restrictions for female students. These rules are justified as in loco parentis. (Latin for "in the place of a parent" the legal responsibility of a person or organization to take on some of the functions and responsibilities of a parent.) 1960’s restrictions included that any female student leaving campus complete a note card detailing where she was going, with whom, and when she expected to return (Flipping Out). These were kept in a card file until the student returned and pulled it (Flipping In). If a student was to be off campus overnight she completed a similar note card and submitted to her House Mother or another authority in advance in order to receive permission to leave (Signing Out).

The Haight Ashbury Free Clinics, Inc. was founded by Dr. David E Smith in Haight-Ashbury, San Francisco, California on June 7, 1967. As thousands of youth arrived in the city, many were in need of substance abuse treatment, mental health service, and medical attention. Most people know the significance of the Haight-Ashbury area of San Francisco in the 1960’s “Counter Culture” movement and its role in the Summer of Love in 1967.

The Monterey Pop Festival was held for three days, beginning June 16, 1967. A precursor to Woodstock, it was organized by several leading musicians, including John Sebastian and Paul McCartney. The Beatles were not scheduled to perform, but the rumor they would make a surprise appearance remained alive until the final notes of the final performance that weekend. (The Mamas and the Papas DID perform.)