10A
Cfjarlotte ^osit
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1996
LIFESTYLES
Dirty
Clothes
Bring Big
Return
Essence chief to deUver message to MOMO
By Sheila Hardwell
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WAYNESBORO, Miss. - For
much of her life, 88-year-old
Oseola McCarty lived in obscu
rity, tucking away money she
earned sweating over other peo
ple’s dirty clothes.
Then came an unselfish act
last year that changed her life.
The longtime laundress donated
$150,000 to a scholarship fimd
to help minority students attend
the University of Southern
Mississippi in Hattiesburg.
Now, the stooped, graying
woman - whose arthritic hands
are evidence of a life of hard
work- is a celebrity.
She has carried the Olympic
torch and been interviewed on
national television. President
Clinton and members of
Congress toasted her and
Roberta Flack serenaded her.
Her story has made headlines
as far away as Argentina.
The woman who never made
it past the sixth grade even
wrote a book, “Oseola McCarty’s
Simple Wisdom for Rich
living.”
The soft-spoken, diminutive
McCarty is not overwhelmed by
the attention. But she admits
that after years of being alone,
it feels good to be appreciated.
Before making the contribu
tion, McCarty “didn’t think
about nothing but working,” she
said. And the fame? “It’s all
right. It ain’t no bad deal.”
No, not too bad for a. woman
whb still has few luxiuies and
spent most of her hfe in Forrest
County in south-eastern
Mississippi.
McCarty has never owned a
car, choosing instead to walk a
mile when she needs groceries,
and uses a tattered Bible
wrapped in tape.-She also suf
fered through sweltering
See Cl OTHES on page 11A
By Jeri Young
THE CHARLOTTE POST
Susan L. Taylor receives let
ters from around the covmtry.
Young women pouring out their
troubles. Young men in states of
confusion.
Her monthly “In the Spirit”
column, a combination of moth
er wit and spirituality, has
become one of the best read in
Essence magazine, a favorite
among African American
women.
Focusing on inner beauty,
Taylor extols the virtues of
black women and provides
encouragement to Essence’s 5.2
million readers.
“We live in a society where
there is a very narrow concep
tion of what is beautiful,” Taylor
said in an interview with New
York Newsday. “It is usually
pale, blonde and a size 7, which
leaves out 95 percent of the
women in this county. And
black women are usually far
thest from that ideal.”
Taylor has addressed that
issue during her 15 year tenure
as editor-in-chief at Essence.
African American women can
find models in aU shapes sizes
and colors. And, of course, hair
textures.
But it is “In the Spirit” that
has given Taylor her voice.
“Tn the Spirit’ is my public
diary,” she said in a recent
interview with The Post. “It is
where I worked out all the
things I was growing through.”
Taylor is now touring the
country to tout the reprint of
her best selling work, “Lessons
in Living,” (Anchor Books, 1995,
$19.95) a collection of essays
modeled after “In the Spirit.”
She lands in Charlotte today
as part of her tour. She will sign
copies of the book and address
Mothers of Murdered Ofispring,
the three-year-old group found
ed by Dee Sumpter to support
families who have lost loved
ones.
Wise, humorous and uplifting,
“Lessons in Living,” provides a
welcome voice to women and
men who do too much.
“In our lives here as African
Americans, we have not learned
to take time for ourselves,”
Taylor says. “We have to take
time to remind ourselves who
we are and whose we are.”
In a voice as soothing as her
pen, Taylor extols the virtues of
taking time out to reflect.
“You don’t need a mantra,”
she said. “You don’t need to go
to the mountain top. Just close
your eyes and be stUl.”
A simple trip to the window or
the water shows us the l)eauty
of God, Taylor says. She admits
that it is difiBcult to make time
for self.
“We think of time to ourselves
as selfish,” she said.
“It is absolutely difficult,” she
added. “We are addicted to
speed and to sound. We find it
difficult to be alone with our
selves.”
Taylor is the first to admit
things are not always perfect in
her hfe.
The 49-year-old daughter of
Caribbean immigrants, Taylor
began her career at Essence as
a freelance beauty editor. A sin
gle mother from Harlem, with
out a college education, Taylor
rose to the top guided by the
shear force of her personality
and drive. “In the Spirit” and
“Lessons in Living” have provid
ed Taylor a forum to work
through her problems.
But she still occasionally gets
the blues.
“I £im not really brought down
by anything,” she said. “Like
eveiyone else, I lose confidence.
I lose faith. I simply have
learned which passage to go to
and which person to talk to.”
Taylor’s spirituality is the key
. to her success. It forms the basis
for her column.
“I think the religion we prac
tice are the man-made rituals,”
she said. “It is important. It
forms the traditions that we
pass along. Spirituality is hving
the meaning of the ideals of the
Author and Essence editor Susan L. Taylor will be in town today to hype her new book,
“Lessons in Living.” She will be the keynote speaker at a Government House reception.
rehgion we practice. Most of the
major rehgions talk about love.
We are here to love.”
Taylor plans to share her mes
sage with MOM-0.
“I don’t know how uphfling I
can be,” she said. “Pain can
transform. It is the pinnacle of
pain to lose a loved one. It has to
be the most painful thing that
you can experience.
“It calls us to the larger work
we’re challenged to do. There’s
so much more that we can to
hold this nation to a higher
moral standard.”
Thanksgiving will provide a
much-needed break for Taylor.
She and her husband plan to
spend the holiday with her
daughter.
“We’re having dinner there,”
she said with a laugh. “I am
excited about that.”
Barnes and Noble wiU.host a
book signing on today at 5:30
p.m. at the Government House,
201 South McDowell St. MOM-
O will present an “Evening with
Susan L. Taylor” immediately
after the book signing. The
event will also feature the music
of the Rev. John P. Kee. Tickets
Cookbook offers tips for lowering holiday fat
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Slim down your holiday
meal with the following sug
gestions from Sandra
Woodruff, author of “Fat-Free
Holiday Recipes (Avery
Publishing, $13.95).
•Baste your turkey with
broth, sherry or white wine
instead of fat. During cooking.
cover the turkey with foil to
retain moistness. Then uncov
er the bird during the last 30
minutes so that it turns a
beautiful brown.
•When making your gravy,
pour the pan juices into a fat
separator cup. 'This device has
a spout that goes to the bot
tom of the cup, allowing you to
pour off just the broth while
■A*l\
'.4:-
the fat, which has risen to the
top, stays in the cup. If you
don't have a separator cup,
pour the juices into a bowl,
and add a few ice cubes. The
fat will then rise to the top
and harden, where it can be
easily skimmed off.
•Moisten your dressing with
broth instead of fat. For added
nutrition, try using whole
wheat bread instead of
white. Then, instead of
using salt for flavor, add
lots of celery, onion and
other vegetables, as well
as herbs and spices.
•Get the fat out of side
dishes and casseroles.
For example, make your
mashed potatoes with
butter-flavored sprinkles
and skim milk, nonfat
yogurt or nonfat sour
cream. When making
casseroles, use nonfat
cheeses, nonfat .sour
cream and low-fat cream
soups. Lighten your sal
ads with nonfat mayon
naise, nonfat sour cream
and fat-free salad dress
ings.
•Modify your holiday
dessert recipes. Use
evaporated skim mfik in
pumpkin pies; substitute
egg whites for whole
eggs; reduce sugar by 25
percent. Choose fruit-
based desserts like cob
blers and fruit crisps
instead of cakes and pas
tries.
The follow
ing recipe for
practically
fat-free Old-
Fashioned
Corn Bread
Dressing is
from “Fat-
Free Holiday
Recipes”
(Avery
Publishing,
$13.95).
Woodruff
suggests bak
ing the corn
bread one to
three days in
advance.
Complete the
stuffing
preparations
the day
before or the
morning of the dinner. Pop
the casserole into the oven one
hour before serving time. The
recipe makes 12 servings.
Old-Fashioned Corn
Bread Dressing
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup thinly sliced celery
(include leaves)
11/2 teaspoons dried sage
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/4 teaspoon ground^ black
pepper
2-3rds cup chicken broth
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
For the Com Bread:
1 1/2 cups whole-grain corn-
meal
2 teaspoons baking powder
4 egg whites, lightly beaten
1 1/4,cups nonfat buttermilk
1 teaspoon butter-flavored
extract
To make the corn bread,
combine the cornmeal and
baking powder in a large bowl.
Stir to mix well. Add the
remaining com bread ingredi
ents, stir to mix well.
Coat a 9-inch square pan
with cooking spray. Spread
batter in pan. Bake in a 400-
degree oven for 20 to 25 min
utes, or until a toothpick
inserted in the center of the
bread comes out clean and
bread begins to pull slightly
away from sides of the pan.
Cool completely.
Remove the com bread from
the pan and crumble into a
large bowl. Add the remaining
ingredients. Toss to mix well.
Coat a 2-quart casserole dish
with nonstick cooking spray.
Loosely spoon the stuffing into
the dish. Bake uncovered at
325 degrees for 45 minutes to
1 hour, or until heated
through and lightly browned
on top. Serve hot. Makes 12
servings.
Nutrition facts per 112-cup
serving: 77 cal., 0.8 g fat, 3.5 g
pro., 0 mg chol., 2 g fiber, 107
mg sodium.
•y