By Talia Simmons
Influential Figures on my Dreams & Mentality: R
A half-American Indigenous , half-black woman raised in the ’80s by a single mother, R’s American Dream didn’t quite fit the narrative; hers was one of ambition, perseverance and “beating the system” with the primary goal of doing what no one else was to get out of poverty.
MOTHER
R’s foundation in faith as well as her childhood experiences lead back to her mom. R remembers her mother’s 5 am 3-hour- commute on the California bus system to work long hours before heading home doing it all over again. Her mother advocated for R when other children wouldn’t play with her in the sandbox, when she was first called the n-word and when her school left her in the recreation room all day because no one was able to rebraid her hair after lice checks. But, Liz’s mom also expected independence from a young age, molding her resiliance. And, when her mother’s marriage began influencing R’s success, the situation lit a fire to R’s back, motivating her to do whatever it took to get herself out of her apartment and to toward the life she wanted.
GRANDMOTHER
A primary role model in her life, R recalls telling her grandmother that she wanted to be a schoolteacher just like her. What O didn’t understand, though, was as a woman of color with a degree in the fifties, her grandmother’s career choices had been slim; “are you crazy,” her grandmother responded, “you could be so much more!” And that was the way it was with R’s grandmother: she repeated to R from a very young age that she was a brilliant, ambitious, special young lady who should always be thinking bigger.
GRANDFATHER
R’s grandfather’s illiteracy never stopped him from detailing the fish restaurant named after her which he would open when his stack of fantasized lottery winnings arrived at his door. He taught her to dream big while still demonstrating a content life full of love, modeling to R a healthy male figure despite turmoil in other relationships she observed throughout her childhood.
R is…
- 39 Years-Old
- Female, Cisgender
- Black
- From Native American-governed US town
- Christian
- Straight