little girl, and she didn’t have many memories of her father living
Family also included close friends adopted as family. For those
in the house with them when she was growing up.
who knew her, if she ever called you her family, you were her
She grew up in southern Georgia before the Civil Rights Movefamily and she treated you as such. She taught us to address those
ment. Her home was a single-parent, female-headed household.
she adopted as sisters and brothers as “Aunt” or “Uncle”,
Her mom was educated and able to work selling insurance. She
“brother” or “sister”. These relationships are still intact today.
saw her dad and would stay with him in Florida when possible.
They transcend blood, time, distance, and even death.
Although her mother was a great mother, and managed to provide basic necessities, my mother said she still longed for her
Home Base
father’s presence. There were times she felt disconnected from
Not only was I blessed to grow up with her as my mother, I
family and wanted to know her heritage.
also had the great pleasure of
She didn’t like the broworking with her in her parken family. She said the
enting programs for many
reason she didn’t leave my
years through the Dr. King
father (yes, there were
Adult Education Center and
times when she wanted
Kankakee Community College
to) was because he was “a
(KCC). One of Mom’s pracgood dad even when he
tices was to involve her family
wasn’t such a good husin many aspects of her work
band.” She didn’t want
with other families. We helped
her children to experience
sort clothes for needy families,
the longing she’d felt
delivered toys to families’
growing up without both
homes at Christmas (with my
parents.
dad dressed as Santa), preShe loved her family
pared and delivered food basand didn’t care how
kets, cooked and fed families
someone was related. She
in Kankakee County, and the
claimed all her people.
Dr. Marjorie Thompson, Rev. John Thompson and their grandch [