To my beautiful Nana,
I am writing to thank you for your existence on this planet whilst it lasted. You have made an impeccable impact on my life. Even though you no longer have breathe in your body, you continually influence me when I think back on the lessons you instilled in me. I hear your voice as my conscience and I strive to be more like you every day. When we meet again on the other side, I want to be there with you knowing I made you proud of the woman, mother, and wife that you've raised me to be.
Nana, even though you are both of my younger sister's biological grandmother, you have taken me in as your own. Right before you passed away I lived with you and it was just you and I. You sheltered me from my mother when she was a sick and abusive alcoholic and you taught me how to be a responsible and conservative young woman. Our plans were for you to adopt me right before school started and right after I finished my Civil Rights Tour. At that time, I was the dance captain of a non-profit organization called Project HIP-HOP, where HIP-HOP stood for Highways Into the Past, History Organizing, and Power. In that group, we used creative pedagogy to push forth our social injustice messages. Project HIP-HOP mainly focused on using dance and theater in flash mobs to protest to the general public getting people to focus and pay attention to the racism that still exists today. On this particular day, it was the 50th anniversary of the march on Washington. My group and I were to perform for former President Barack Obama. At that time, I received a phone call from your son, my stepdad, saying that you've passed away. In hysteria, I said "FUCK OBAMA, MY NANA IS DEAD!!!" as I hysterically cried in the grass at the White House while it rained. Loosing you was not only the greatest grief I've ever felt, but it coupled with me becoming homeless since you were no longer alive to shelter me.
Since then, I've only become even more motivated and determined. I've learned to knit to cope with the loss of your death, received a $10,000 scholarship to college from Comcast because of the countless hours of community service work I put in at Project HIP-HOP, as well as the great grades I got all in high school all while being homeless. I am now majoring in Speech Pathology/ Communication Disorders with a minor in Hearing and Deafness because of how influential you are to me. You were me, my sister, and most of my cousins' preschool teacher at the Dorchester Salvation Army. I strive to impact people and students the way you have and I want to give my future students a better foundation to life in general. Also,I still have your sign language books from church when you were trying to be apart of the sign language ministry. Even though you never got to finish learning, I continued what you have started and I am now fluent in American Sign Language (ASL. One day, because of you, I will become a pediatric speech therapist where I will strengthen the speech of young tots as I have already done with my first born son.
Marianna,
ReplyDeleteExcellent post. This is dear and sincere letter. Surely, someone was looking over your shoulder when you wrote it.
I like all the details that you put in your story and how you link your grandmother's direct impact on events in your life, ways to be, and the things you've learned - such as sign language and knitting.
All great details that put the reader in the moment with you. Excellent writing.
The only time during the letter that I was a bit confused was when you went into further detail about the hip hop program. I'd just try to condense the explanation so that the focus of your post (your letter) remains. This is a quick edit. No big deal.
I like the design of this post, how you placed your images, and the images that you've collected for this homage.
Beautifully written.
Grade: 98