I rarely get personal on my blog because it opens the flood gates for strangers and acquaintances to cherry pick my life over things that I hold most dear to me. Not that I’m a celebrity BY NO MEANS AT ALL are you kidding? but people can be kinda cruel when thumbing through your feed on a touch screen within their grasp. Ughh do you read the comments section of any major platform? People are savages! But as of last week, I’ve had a change of heart.
It all started when I saw the Carol’s Daughter not-just-another-campaign for #BORNandMADE- a commitment rooted in the celebration of beauty and heritage. A leisurely scroll through the hashtag on Instagram will fill your mobile screen with the faces and narratives of women and children who represent themselves, birth places and their maternal figures. Best of of all !!! the campaign allows you to concisely note the unique ingredients that make you special which we already know is more than just sugar and spice and all things nice. Since I love a good social media campaign, I used the opportunity to not only make my own selfie-art but decided to share the story of three generations of daughters.
Growing up in a female household, my grandma and mother were matriarchs in a no man’s land of hot pink Barbie cars, American Girl catalogs, leather mini-skirts and Lisa Frank stickers and trapper keepers. Don’t act like I’m the only one, it was the 90s! Besides toys and road trips, my favourite thing to do as a kid was to listen to fond memories of their much-loved island of Jamaica. It is there in the cozy cove of our home that I developed an appreciation for our rich Jamaican culture, cuisine and the heritage of our people. The kind of history and staccato melodies of reggae and fried plantain that hung heavy at family parties yet remained absent from home economics or band class. For the most part, Jamaican culture is well received today but I grew up before it skipped to that level of cool. As the eldest child, guardian of all tradition that I am, I became so intimately familiar with my mom and grandma’s childhood that I can still recall former landmarks, street names and neighborhood characters that preceded my birth. Mom if you’re reading this of course I know Ms. Mitchell had a store up Tucker top. And because of you, I know that she was the smartest and most stylish woman around town. Like many of my family members, I have always marveled at their courage to embark on the mass exodus from 4,240 square miles of paradise to North America in search of new beginnings.
Through their journey, I can celebrate our age-less beauty knowing that I am made with bush tea & prayer, curry and courage and kinks and culture. I wouldn’t be #BORNandMADE without these fantastic ladies who have taught me this simple Jamaican principle which has been incorporated into every aspect of my spiritual, professional, academic and financial aspirations:
The present generation must surpass the generation before them to continue the family legacy.
Mom, Grandma Vi, Shana, Me, and Grandma Ilene (aka the woman of many names)
We accidentally wore the same colours to an event this year. Stylish minds think alike, no? [^_^]
