Nothing ‘Itsy Bitsy’ about this Black Widow’s story
Caribbean Life, June 5-11, 2020 29
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
You find yourself spinning,
spinning, spinning.
When you lose someone,
that’s how it feels: like you’re
spinning in place, you can’t
think or understand, and
there’s a time limit, as if you’re
in one of those game show
Cash Machines and you can’t
catch a thing. You can barely
fathom that, as in the new
book “Black Widow” by Leslie
Gray Streeter, it will get better.
They were not childhood
sweethearts.
They were, however, in the
same graduating class: Scott
Zervitz, the tall, white, Jewish
dude that knew everybody; and
Leslie Streeter, a quiet Black
nerd who spent part of middle
school overseas. She sat
behind him in one class, and
that was their only connection
— although she remembered
that he was cute, and he told
his friends that he really liked
her.
Twenty-some years later,
they reconnected over a class
reunion. He happened to be
living a half-hour away from
her Palm Beach condo and,
well, one thing led to another.
She resisted, though, clearly
stating that she was a celibateuntil
marriage kind of girl.
That didn’t faze him.
He was a keeper.
They married, their families
embraced their differences, he
was looking forward to a new
job, and they were in the process
of adopting a baby boy. And
then, in the middle of “making
out” one night, Scott abruptly
died.
Remarkably, Streeter held
herself together in the following
days, but barely, and with
an oceans’ worth of tears. Of
those hours, she says, “timelines
keep slipping” and there
are things she doesn’t remember
and can’t tell. But someone
suggested once that while
making new memories with
Scott is no longer possible,
talking about him would let
him “live on in those stories
with… new people.”
And so, she shares…
Book cover of “Black Widow” by Leslie Gray Streeter.
She writes of his love for
the Baltimore Ravens, his passion
for sports memorabilia,
his solidness, and his easy selfassuredness.
He was a fan of
1970s TV. He was calm. He was
“smart, and that was superhot.”
He was romantic. He was
generous.
He was loved.
Okay, so here’s the thing:
that box of tissue you brought
with you? Once you get about
mid-book, don’t put it away.
Keep it around because, while
“Black Widow” will make you
laugh sometimes, your eyes
will leak a lot, too.
But yet, this book isn’t all
touchy-feely-teary. Author Leslie
Gray Streeter tells her story
with a sense of humor that
seems to appear because she’s
had the time to find it, which
could be of comfort to widows
who need to know that that can
happen. Because she so keenly
recalls the kind of details that
are often lost in a fog of grief,
Streeter’s sometimes-profane
memories add textured richness
to this tale, as well as a
knife-sharp view at the process
of getting through. Readers will
love that intensity. New widows
will appreciate the wisdom.
At the risk of spoiling,
there’s a sweet ending to this
love-letter that you need to see,
so stop spinning. Start “Black
Widow,” and it won’t take long
to be caught in its web.
“Black Widow” by Leslie
Gray Streeter
c.2020, Little, Brown
$27.00 / $34.00
Canada, 263 pages
Black Widow’s author, Leslie Gray Streeter. Rissa Miller of Balance Photography
#TheShowMustBePaused observed
By Nelson A. King
Two music-industry leaders
on Tuesday called for a Day of
Silence amid vociferous public
outrage and violence over the
death of George Floyd, a Black
man killed by a Minneapolis
white police officer in front of
horrified witnesses and three
other police officers.
Brianna Agyemang and
Jamila Thomas floated the
call for #TheShowMustBePaused
in response to other
Blackout Tuesday vigils, noted
the San Francisco Classical
Voice (SFCV).
“The music industry has
profited predominantly from
Black art,” said the marketing
executives in their Instagram
post. “Our mission is to hold
the industry at large, including
major corporations and their
partners who benefit from the
efforts, struggles, and successes
of Black people accountable.
“To that end, it is the obligation
of these entities to protect
and empower the Black
communities who have made
them wealthy in ways that are
disproportionately measurable
and transparent,” they added.
SFCV said that though the
day of action “seemed to leave
classical organizations to the
side, many of them across the
nation were expressing sorrow
and commiseration.”
“Perhaps most striking
was the statement from the
League of American Orchestras,
penned by its president,
Jesse Rosen,” SFCV said.
“In the face of ceaseless intolerance,
hatred, and violence
against African Americans in
our country, historically and
currently, we are impelled
to reaffirm that we value all
Black lives,” the League said.
“Our colleagues of color — and
many communities served by
the orchestras we represent —
are living with deep pain and
fear, subjected to the threat
of police violence, to the risks
inherent in serving as essential
workers in a time of crisis,
and to ongoing oppression in a
society scarred by racism.
“There is an urgent need
for White people and predominantly
White organizations to
do the work of uprooting this
racism,” the League added. “We
recognize that for decades, in
our role as a national association
and voice for orchestras,
we have tolerated and perpetuated
systemic discrimination
against Black people, discrimination
mirrored in the practices
of orchestras and throughout
our country.
“And while we have called
the field’s attention to the
need for change and provided
resources to support that work,
we struggle to move as quickly