HONORING A LEGACY OF BLACK ACTIVISM:
A Granddaughter's Mission
Growing up, I was lucky enough to have my grandmother around. I called her Ma, in fact, many people did. Ma and I spent a lot of time together. She would walk me to school, take me to Lake Merritt to feed the ducks and Ma would read books to me all the time! I have countless memories of us going to the library and the bookstore, a weekly excursion for the two of us.
Though I didn’t realize it at the time, my grandmother taught me to love reading and to be an activist. I would watch the news with her and we talk about what we were watching or what we saw. Ma would ask me what I thought and would want to know my opinion about what we were watching and I would say “I don’t know.” But she would push me to have a dialogue with her about what I saw and let me know that my voice and my opinions mattered.
Ma and I in our home at the time - Grand Ave., Oakland CA. 1985
She told me that it was important for me to be there, that my voice mattered, that my presence mattered, and that I would feel so proud in the moment.
During the second semester of my 7th-grade year, we learned Nelson Mandela was free after 27 years in captivity. Soon after, people around the world learned he would be going on a summer tour, with Oakland being the final stop. That spring, the students at my elementary school, St. Pauls, learned that we’d been selected to sing in a choir with other Oakland students during his visit to the Oakland Coliseum.
​
Being a shy kid, I was so nervous and scared. What if I messed up? Did I even deserve to be there? What if I wasn’t good enough? Ma would have none of this when I shared my fears with her. She told me that it was important for me to be there, that my voice mattered, that my presence mattered, and that I would feel so proud in the moment. A few months later, on June 30th, I got up on stage wearing all white with a green and yellow sash draped around my shoulders and sang Ella’s Song by Sweet Honey in the Rock. An hour later Nelson Mandela began his speech. There is a picture of my grandmother and me backstage, and I remember her encouraging me and telling me to trust in myself. And of course, Ma was right: When I got off stage, I felt so incredibly proud.
​
I felt so proud and brave performing for Nelson Mandela and that feeling has stayed with me for years. My grandmother's encouragement and words were what guided me through that day, and I want others to have those same feelings when they look at her mural, walk through her school, and learn about her experiences.
Thank you for taking the time to learn about this project and for your support in making this project happen.
