<![CDATA[HELEN PRUDEN KAUFMANN - News and Events]]>Mon, 06 Apr 2026 05:57:14 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[The Monument]]>Fri, 26 Jun 2020 21:47:15 GMThttps://www.helenkaufmann.com/news-and-events/the-monumentI grew up across the street from this Confederate monument. We can’t erase history, and I certainly don’t condone vandalism—but I do believe it’s time to seriously think about symbolism and how we can better acknowledge the past. The following is an excerpt from White Gloves and Collards:
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The Monument

Cast in bronze, he stands atop a pedestal at the foot of Broad Street, facing north with defiance, in memoriam to those who fought and died for The Cause—for states’ rights and the land they loved (or so I was told).  Each day during the 50’s and 60’s, he whispered to my brother and me on our way to Edenton Elementary, the town’s all-white school. “Be proud,” he’d tell us. “Be proud of your ancestors. Be confident in the future. This is your land.”  

But for some other children living nearby, he had a different message. “Be on your guard,” he’d warn as they headed to a separate school on the edge of town. “Know your place. I’m watching you.” As they’d walk past him, eyes toward the ground, he’d whisper, “This is not your land. You’re only here to serve.”

​Then one bright morning, those brave, dark children had heard enough. They looked up at the soldier’s musket, his wide-brimmed hat, and the names of Confederate dead inscribed on the pedestal below. “You’re wrong,” they told him. “This land was built by our ancestors brought here against their will. It’s the land of our parents and grandparents. We belong here as much as you.” They stared for a moment at those hard, cold eyes. Then with heads held high, they made there way across the street.
]]><![CDATA[Storyteller's Edge Presentation]]>Sun, 29 Oct 2017 02:11:18 GMThttps://www.helenkaufmann.com/news-and-events/storytellers-edge-presentationSuch an honor to be one of the presenters at the 10/28 Storyteller's Edge event entitled "The Indomitable Spirit of Women."
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Pictured with event organizer Candace Conradi
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]]><![CDATA[Book Club Guest]]>Thu, 23 Jun 2016 03:02:13 GMThttps://www.helenkaufmann.com/news-and-events/book-club-guestEnjoyed being the guest of a Mission Hills book club for a discussion of White Gloves and Collards.
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]]><![CDATA[Rotary Club Presentation]]>Thu, 28 Apr 2016 04:33:36 GMThttps://www.helenkaufmann.com/news-and-events/rotary-club-presentationEnjoyed being the guest speaker yesterday at the El Camino Rotary Club in Oceanside.
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]]><![CDATA[Guest Speaker at Carlsbad Newcomers]]>Thu, 03 Sep 2015 02:54:16 GMThttps://www.helenkaufmann.com/news-and-events/guest-speaker-at-carlsbad-newcomersEnjoyed speaking to 40-50 people at the Carlsbad Newcomers' monthly meeting about my book. Pictured with Marilyn Shea, Program Director.
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]]><![CDATA[Book Event in Kensington]]>Thu, 09 Jul 2015 05:21:49 GMThttps://www.helenkaufmann.com/news-and-events/book-event-in-kensingtonMore than 20 people attended a discussion of White Gloves and Collards at the Open Minds Studio in Kensington last night. I feel honored that my book was the monthly selection of the fabulous Worldview Project book club! 
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]]><![CDATA[Breakfast Book Club in Pacific Beach]]>Sat, 28 Mar 2015 18:11:11 GMThttps://www.helenkaufmann.com/news-and-events/breakfast-book-club-in-pacific-beachWhat an honor and pleasure it was to have my memoir featured in Adventure by the Book’s inaugural Breakfast Book Club gathering at the Broken Yolk in PB. Author and radio/tv personality Kathi Diamant facilitated a stimulating discussion about race, class, and growing up in the South during the 50s and 60s. Many thanks to Adventure by the Book founder, Susan McBeth for having me as the guest author.
]]><![CDATA[AudioFile Magazine Review and Award]]>Wed, 04 Feb 2015 02:20:25 GMThttps://www.helenkaufmann.com/news-and-events/audiofile-magazine-review-and-award
The audio version of my book (available through audible.com, Amazon, and iTunes) was recently reviewed in AudioFile magazine and was named an Earphone Awards Winner!
You'd be hard pressed to find a more entertaining and enlightening coming-of-age story than this one, set in 1960s North Carolina. Narrator Peggy Richardson adroitly conveys the early life of the author, who loses both of her parents by age 16. One of the notable features of the story is the remarkable evolution of Kaufmann's views on civil rights. Richardson movingly conveys Kaufmann's voice from childhood to the present, along with the voices of her close-knit family, school friends, and the blacks who make up her world. The story is at once personal (crushes, annoying relatives) and historic (the Kennedy assassination, Jim Crow laws). Richardson's delivery is appropriate for every situation. S.G.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine 
]]><![CDATA[Author Talk at Del Mar Library]]>Fri, 30 Jan 2015 01:40:46 GMThttps://www.helenkaufmann.com/news-and-events/author-talk-at-del-mar-libraryWhat a good-lookin’ audience!
]]><![CDATA[Local Author Showcase in Del Mar]]>Sun, 25 Jan 2015 01:55:17 GMThttps://www.helenkaufmann.com/news-and-events/local-author-showcase-in-del-marLooking forward to being guest speaker at the Del Mar Library on Wednesday, Jan. 28, at 6:30. I’ll be reading from White Gloves and Collards and talking about my childhood in eastern North Carolina during the transition between the Jim Crow era and the civil rights movement. If you’re in the area, hope you’ll attend!
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