I wanted to choose two people to spotlight who were single mothers, not by choice, and women who did not have the financial means to hire nannies, send their children to boarding schools or have the money only to work when they wanted. I chose Myrlie and my great-grandmother to highlight because they were truly single mothers who had to fight their way to success, all while working, managing their homes, and keeping the bills paid. They did not have endless means of wealth and support, they had a handful of people and only the money they made.
While I will be broadening my scope in the upcoming episodes and including interviews and stories on single women and mothers who are all over the board on lifestyles and incomes, I did want to make sure I focused on these two women first, as they were both alive at the same time, and both struggling to single-parent in a world that was not fair or kind to women and in Myrlie’s case, single mothers of color.
I hope you have found a bit of inspiration from the brief stories of my great-grandmother and Myrlie Evers. Next week, we will be discussing the systems I have implemented in my life to help me keep my sanity as a full-time work-from-home single mother with ADHD.
Please have a great week ladies and as always, stay safe and remember, we are in this together!
Resources:
https://www.ruthshousect.com/blog/honoring-remarkable-single-mothers-throughout-history
https://singlenycmom.com/iconic-single-moms/
http://mckenziesofearlymaryland.com/getperson.php?personID=I12981&tree=McKenzie1
https://naacp.org/find-resources/history-explained/civil-rights-leaders/medgar-evers
https://www.nps.gov/people/myrlie-evers-williams.htm
https://amzn.to/425zQyV (The Autobiography of Medgar Evers)
https://amzn.to/42Tmozn (For Us the Living- Myrlie Evers)
https://amzn.to/3Wt0yjE (Watch Me Fly- Myrlie Evers)