Personal Narrative: My Mom's Nothing Like Having A Strong Black Woman

“I'm stuck between who I am, who I want to be, and who I should be.” - Unknown

Is it worth being tracked by dogs to become a free person? I am a black woman I've

I put on a brave face, hiding the nervousness I truly felt. I had stepped into the building the heat felt more unbearable, whilst the slight breeze from the open windows gave some chill but it has still not helped. I stood next to the door, because it was open and the breeze that was coming from the door had calmed me. When settled my eyes scanned the crowd concluding that I was the only black women there. I felt my heart in my throat; my stomach churning, I took two deep breaths calming myself. ‘It won’t matter that you’re the only black women, your opinion matters as much as theirs,’ I told myself willing to believe it. The sound of a glass getting tapped dragged my attention to the front of the room where a woman stood holding a wine glass

To see my parents always working and worrying for our future was so hard to see we would pray every night. The thing they always made sure they had money for is for our school and the utensils we needed for school. This was a very tough part in my life because me and my sister were always worried are we ever going to get, are we ever going to help our parents live a better life. When my sister turned sixteen she had to get her first job to help my parents out and it started to get a little

     Due to the fact that my father was now on his own and trying to raise three children (my older brother from my father’s first marriage), he had to take a different position at his work. Although he was getting a raise it wasn’t necessarily a good thing. He had to start working the night shift so he could get the raise. He didn’t really have a choice in the matter and because of this new change, I began to lose valuable time with him as well. It was now up to my brother to watch over us at night and make sure we got to bed on time. If there was any trouble or and problems in general, my brother would call my grandmother. For three years my dad worked that job and every night he would stay up after he got home to see us. He would make my sister and I breakfast and make we were off to school on time. This meant the world to me because no matter what he always made time for us.

The dark brown eyes staring back at me were foreign, the slightest trace of their previous owner had faded and the soul of their new owner shone through them with a happiness that could only be conjured up by one thing- new hair.

My hair is a kinky, knotted, mess. When I was 2 years old I moved to Canada from Jamaica. Being so young I did not experience much of a culture shock. I considered myself simply Canadian, rejecting any hints of the culture of my ancestors. I was so desperate to fit in, I was willing to change myself in anyway, I did not want to be considered Jamaican, Jamaican-Canadian, even the word “black” rubbed me the wrong way. Identified me as something different. I begged my mom to straighten my hair, as to not look different than the other girls, disregarding the beauty, meaning, and power wrapped in the kinks.

After many intensive surgeries, chemo, and radiation, my mother was left to tend to my father. She spent every day either in the hospital or taking care of my father. She did everything from changing his dressing to putting his socks on. After going bankrupt, losing her father, watching her son leave, to taking care of her husband as he laid on a hospital bed fighting for his life, I have never seen anyone more strong in my lifetime to this

I tasted salt but when I opened my eyes everything was black. A few seconds later I felt a thud, and pain coursed through my entire body. I couldn’t identify the source, or what was happening, but I knew I needed to find my way out from under that sailboat. I dove down and tried to swim out but my foot was caught on the main sail. I flailed until it was free, and swam up. I swam so long before I broke the surface

When I was four years old, my mother and father got divorced, although he didn't live with us since I was two. At the time, my brother was only eight. Being a single parent is a hard enough job in itself but my mother also worked full time.

Because of the absence of a father figure, my mother took care of everything. The finances she took care of from me growing up is what amazes me the most. I think of all of these times and it makes me realize things. A woman can do what really she sets her mind too. Although my mom was raising me on her own with a job, or sometimes two on hand, I was raised right. Financially, she made sure I always had enough of everything; clothes, food and entertainment. We lived in houses that could fit inside other houses, and in places that were only guest houses to the owners. Because of the low income life I lived before my adopted dad came along, its taught me to save. Saving is important and furthering my education is important. A college fund was never planned as I was younger, but my parents to this day assure me college will never be something I 'm deprived of.

My mom had me when she was just sixteen years old and my brother two years later, she managed to finish and graduate highschool which is one of the reasons she’s a big role model in my life. I grew up with two parents, my mom and my dad. Since both my parents were young, money wasn’t always available due to bills and housing. My mom and dad worked to ends meet and we were able to move out of my nana’s house who has also been a big role model for me. My parents work their hardest to provide for my brother and I so that we didn’t have to worry about the littlest of things.

Losing my father at a young age was extremely difficult, it took a toll on my family. Which resulted in living in a single parent household. My mother constantly worked to try to support me and my sister. Some nights we didn’t eat, we couldn’t participate in activities, and we watched our mother slip away. Seeing things at that age, we were forced to grow up and depend

It was with courage, through the worst of times that she single-handedly built our relationship. When I was hospitalized at the age of two, my mother dropped everything in her life to advocate for me. With much hardship, she traveled great distances

Because of the absence of a father figure, my mother took care of everything. The finances she took care of from me growing up is what amazes me the most. I think of all of these times and it makes me realize things. A woman can do what really she sets her mind too. Although my mom was raising me on her own with a job, or sometimes two on hand, I was raised right. Financially, she made sure I always had enough of everything; clothes, food and entertainment. We lived in houses that could fit inside other houses, and in places that were only guest houses to the owners. Because of the low income life I lived before my adopted dad came along, its taught me to save. Saving is important and furthering my education is important. A college fund was never planned as I was younger, but my parents to this day assure me college will never be something I 'm deprived of.