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Mothers Making a Difference
Story by: Catalina Byrd
info@catalinabyrd.com
Photography by: Tya Anthony for eyeni photography
After the Heal A Woman To Heal A Nation luncheon, myself and a few other members of the local press were allowed to sit down with Dr. Green, Dr. Hines, and Ms. Smith for an interview. It was in this setting that these ladies’ personalities shone the brightest, in my opinion. Naturally, because of the success and well-known friendship amongst their children, their perspective on the artists’ careers and impact in the industry were sought, as were their views about what they did as mothers that nurtured the creativity of their children and what other mothers could do to do the same. Each of them very open and speaking with great candor, fans of their boys’ work could easily see them in the work of their children.
Dr. Hines believes that Common didn’t compromise his art for commercial success because he came up “in the purist time to be involved in Hip Hop before it became commercial”, something that Dr. Green and Ms. Smith agreed with as well. Black Star (Mos Def and Talib Kweli’s name when still performing as a duo), the mother’s of the two artists recalled, took the money from their first album to open a bookstore so that their friends could come and do Spoken Word.
Music and the arts were used in their homes for more than recreation. Dr. Hines said that she’d studied how classical music helped children retain information better and played Bach as Common studied. Ms. Smith agreed that you had to expose your children to diverse things in order for their thinking to grow to be more diverse. Dr. Hines remarked that “even if you don’t like what you are listening to, don’t let [the children] know that you don’t” or that you were making a conscious effort to show them new things. The mothers all stated the belief that the arts were needed to raised well-rounded children and supported their artistry “not with the intent of wanting the child to become commercially successful” and in no way knew nor cared one way or the other if they became famous for it.
Prior to becoming involved with the Raising Him Alone campaign, the ladies had worked together to formulate
and have instituted in public schools in Brooklyn, NY a Spoken Word course for high school students, believing it very important to use the arts and other mediums to connect children to education and nurture the enthusiasm
for learning.
Prior to becoming involved with the Raising Him Alone campaign, the ladies had worked together to formulate and have instituted in public schools in Brooklyn, NY a Spoken Word course for high school students, believing it very important to use the arts and other mediums to connect children to education and nurture the enthusiasm for learning. Aside from being a professor of English, Dr. Green is also the Executive Director of The Center for Black Literature also at Medgar Evers College, an offspring of the college’s School of Professional and Community Development aimed at expanding and broadening the public’s knowledge and participation in Black literature. With two of the three mom’s being educators many years themselves, one could see their passion in their own individual gifts when they spoke about the projects and their goals for the future.
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Marc Clarke, formerly of the 92Q “Big Phat Morning Show”, was amongst those asking questions during the interview, during which at one time he played a portion of Jay-Z’s “Moment of Clarity” and asked for the feedback of the ladies. Dr. Hines stated that she “respected Jay-Z for the lyrics” as Ms. Smith made a joke about why Mos wasn’t mentioned. Overall, they were all apparently fans of Jay’s work and had heard the song before it was played for them. The opinion that seemed to be shared was that his mentioning of Common and Talib in the track showed his artistic respect for them, while also speaking to the issue that one of the reasons that they do not know similar commercial success to that of his own is because, as a community, we do not support more conscious music. The pride in their sons was hard to miss and, to some degree, one can imagine that if any of them had changed their technique to make more money, their mothers would not have been pleased.
At one time or another, each mother had at one time or another been a single parent while raising the artists and their siblings. Faith and a strong spiritual foundation were accredited as how it was they dealt with the process, as well as something that they taught the men as they grew up. Dr. Hines stated that her favorite song by her son was “Retrospect For Life” because she found it refreshing to hear the issue of abortion spoken on from a man’s perspective. “Retrospect For Life” is a song in which Common’s strong moral values can be found most especially in the last lines of the song which she also quoted: “‘Cause $325 is not worth your soul.” All of them said that they didn’t worry about their children being lead astray as grown men once they entered the industry because of their strong faith and that they trusted that the boys would make wise decisions for themselves and their businesses.
Selflessly being open and honest about the challenges and struggles of divorce and absent fathers at times,
they painted a real picture of parenting alone that still managed to fit hope into the horizon.
The interview was very natural and had an easy-going type of feel to it. When Dr. Hines had to leave early to catch a flight, Dr. Green and Ms. Smith stayed to talk with us some more. Clearly in this arena most notable for who their children grew to become, these women had come together to offer other mothers like themselves the knowledge they attained while raising the men. Selflessly being open and honest about the challenges and struggles of divorce and absent fathers at times, they painted a real picture of parenting alone that still managed to fit hope into the horizon.
Dr. Hines had stated, while on the panel during lunch, that she was always concerned about whether there would be someone to take care of Rashid (Common) if something were to happen to her, a perspective rarely spoken on. Aside from the great works of their children, the women were asked what legacy they wanted to leave behind with their lives and work. Dr. Green said that “in different points in life, I had different focuses” and that now that she has achieved tenure within the college she is most focused now on “impacting the community through education, supporting writers and artists to use innovative ways to connect children with learning”. Sheron Smith had a similar desire for her own legacy, stating that she would like to be remembered as “a force within the community”. Believing very heavily that as long as someone “has a will to want/have more for themselves than they will” she spreads that message as a motivational speaker and author.
I found the mothers to be very down to earth, all of whom admitted that in their eyes, despite their success, they don’t see their children as celebrities or themselves either for that matter. Discussions like this that took place need to be had more often and women should support one another in the raising of their children and as friends for a healthier community. The participants in the conference were given a number of these jewels during the panel discussion hosted by local comedienne/actress Meshelle Forman Shields, but I believe that we all that got to participate in the interview were enriched that much more. All of the reporters, other than Marc, were women and we all took turns asking questions as mothers, daughters, and professionals more so than as journalists. The opportunity to dialogue with women that had raised model children, to say the least, was humbling and insightful. Raising Him Alone will continue its campaign throughout 2009 with the panel coming to other cities and states that can be found on their website at www.raisinghimalone.com as well as links to the mothers’ individual websites where you can be kept up-to-date on their various projects within their communities and abroad. Both the cause and the people that they have involved with it nationally are driven by a desire to effect positive change within their communities, especially in the lives of children.
