The furor about hooded sweatshirts touched off by the killing of Trayvon Martin reminded me of this piece, written during the yuletide three years ago. 'Hoodies' are very much an Upstate invention ...

From the tragic death of Trayvon Martin, a symbol emerges: the hoodie. A simple hooded sweatshirt has become emblematic of certain assumptions in America. And of a desire by many to overturn those ...