Growing up in Buffalo, a small city in upstate New York, I didn’t live in a single-family home surrounded by a white picket fence with my mother and father. I wasn’t raised with a golden spoon in my mouth and a nanny to attend to my every beckoning call. But instead, I grew up around individuals with low paying (to no paying) jobs, drug dealers, food stamp users, Women Infant Child (WIC) program participants, and public assistance seeking individuals.
It would have been easy for anyone to fall victim to complacency, but following the norm was never one of my strong suits. I’ve watched my mom work extremely hard as a single woman, and though we were susceptible to the struggle, she was able to take care of my brother and I, pay the rent, bills, and offer a little fun from time to time.
As Tye Tribbett would say, life was good in the hood. I love and appreciate my mom’s hustle and struggle. It’s not easy raising a child, let alone two children, but she made it through. Without 98 struggles, there aren’t any true rewards.
Now, I am thirty-one years old, and I wear many hats throughout the day. I am a child of God, mother, registered nurse, co-owner of “At Peace Health Care Agency,” missionary, a member of the National Association University of Women Philadelphia Suburban Branch, a member of two investment clubs, an up-and-coming fashion designer, a financial consultant in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and now an author.
My brother and I are both successful. Though my dad wasn’t around very often, I was able to overcome that obstacle of an absentee father and break away from being a statistic. Despite your past, you have the power.