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She Never
Gave Up
On Me
By Kim Brown
Reminiscing over the past four
years, tears well up in my eyes.
I can remember staying up all
night before the trip to Spelman,
as my grandmother held me
tightly, consoling me that
everything was going to be okay.
Thoughts of love, pride, and
affection linger in my mind as I
think of the times when I thought
my world would collapse, only
hearing her gentle voice whisper,
"Trust in the Lord, baby, and
everything will be all right."
With those words I have made
it through my tenure here at
Spelman. Even when walking
among my friends in Giles Hall, I
feel her strong spirit deep within
me.
I think of her being at home
(My grandfather left her seven
years ago), tending to her daily
duties of cleaning and raising my
child. . .
Just think, my child - the
person I am supposed to have full
responsibility over - and my
grandmother, mother, and uncle
reach out their hands to support
and sacrifice for me.
I think back on the day I had
to break the news of my
pregnancy to my grandmother.
It had only been two months
since my grandfather (who was
like a father to me) had passed
away. I could see the hurt in her
eyes.
The situation was like daggers
piercing unmercifully in my heart.
She never gave up on me.
The birth of my child gave me
the ambition to excel in school and
to further my education.
Whatever made me happy
made my grandmother happy. As
I sit in class, I think of her sitting
in her bedroom, writing a little
note of encouragement to my>£ister
and me.
She is my atmosphere of
protection against the rest of the
world.
She has stuck by me when I
have not been the best person to
live with. Her gratitude has been
the security blanket that covers me
in the midst of my ignorance.
My grandmother, Dorothy
Price, has sacrificed time, effort,
and money to make sure that when
I leave Spelman, I will be
equipped with the best life has to
offer me.
I thank God that He has
allowed me the blessing of her to
be a part of my life.
A Tribute to My
By Sabrina Bradford
MOTHER is one of the most
special and sacred titles any
woman desires to hold. A mother
is a female, not necessarily a
parent, who holds a position of
authority or responsibility in one’s
life.
A mother loves and cares for
all of her children, both her sons
and her daughters. However,
there is something about the
relationship between a mother and
daughter that can neither be
explained nor duplicated.
As Edith Neisser wrote in her
book Mothers and Daughters, "A
woman’s relationship to her
daughter is more creative and
fulfilling, deeper and more
enduring, than any other. The
biological tie is present with a
child of either sex, but a daughter
is an extension of a woman’s own
self."
The relationship between my
mother and I is very special. For
as long as I can remember, my
mother has always been there for
me. She unselfishly sacrificed her
time and energy to provide me
with a pleasurable childhood. No
matter how tired she was, she
always had time for school plays,
musical recitals and track meets.
She always made me feel special,
even though she had to be a strict
disciplinarian from time to time.
Boy, do I remember those
spankings! Before the pain could
subside, she always said, "1 whip
you because I love you." 1
thought that was the stupidest
thing I would ever hear from
anyone anywhere.
I did not understand it then,
but I do now. 1 realize that it
hurt her just as much as it hurt
me when she punished me.
Believe it or not, 1 can actually
appreciate those spankings.
Our mother-daughter
relationship was not always rosy.
At the onset of my teenage years,
1 became one rebellious young
lady. Of course, 1 knew
everything and my mother was
always wrong. I, like all other
adolescent girls, needed and
wanted my mother’s approval,
even though my actions belied
this fact.
According to Neisser,
"Mothers usually want to be
reasonable. If circumstances
warrant doing so, they find
vicarious enjoyment in their
daughters growing up."
My mother did everything in
her power to accommodate the
ever-changing me while also
giving me the love and support I
needed. In retrospect, 1 do not
Mother
suppose "our" adolescent
experience was any rockier than
most, it just seemed so unnatural
at the time.
I know the relationship that
my mother and I share is one of
great worth. We have both gi, a
and learned to accept and
appreciate each other’s strengths
as well as weaknesses.
Until I came to college, I
thought everybody had similar
mother-daughter relationships.
When my friends and I shared
experiences, I realized that not
everyone is as close to her mother
as I am to mine. Sometimes
when my friends overhear me
speaking with my mother on the
telephone, they say in
astonishment, "Sabrina, I can’t
believe you told your mother
that."
I can honestly say that as we
gel older, my mother and I
become better friends. Recently
she celebrated a birthday and I
gave her a surprise party. She
was very excited and thanked me
repeatedly.
Even though she does not
always agree with me, she
supports my decisions and
respects me as an adult.
Whenever she thinks I made a
faulty decision, she does not
judge, but rather she offers me
guidance. I hope that someday
God will bless me with a
daughter and I will be as good to
her as my mother has been and
still is to me.
I know I do not say it often
enough, so I will take the
opportunity to say it now:
Mother, I love you.
Made in the AUC
By Carrie Allison Givhan
We all want to exude the
positive qualities that are instilled
in us in college. We want to
become products of our
environment. Some of us literally
are "products" of our
environment.
In the AUC we refer to these
people as "Spel-House Babies" or
"AUC Children." Spel-House
Babies have a mother who
attended Spelman and a father
who attended Morehouse. Their
parents met while attending these
institutions, later married and had
children who grew up and now,
as young adults, attend these
colleges.
I am a Spel-House baby.
In 1965, my mother was a
freshmen at Spelman College.
She lived in a dorm called
Morgan (which has since burned
down).
She met my father, who was a
senior at the time, while leaving
her dorm on the way to the
laundromat. After their initial
meeting, they began to date and
consequently fell in love. They
got married a few years later.
My brother, Mercer A. Givhan
III, currently attends Morehouse
College and is a senior political
science major.
Both of us realize that we
would not be at these institutions,
nor would we exist, if our parents
had not met here. Thus, Spelman
and Morehouse are very dear to
us.
Another case of Spel-House
Babies are two sisters - Carla and
Andrea Molette who also happen
to be roommates on campus.
Carla is a senior and Andrea is a
junior.
An interesting case of an AUC
Child is Harry Redd. Harry, who
is a junior Banking Finance Major
at Morehouse College, has parents
who met while they were
attending Atlanta University.
They were both getting their
master’s degrees in the field of
Social Work.
When asked if the fact that
both of his parents attended
schools in the AUC influenced his
decision to go to Morehouse,
Harry responded "Their
experiences of being in a black
school environment was
something that I wished to
duplicate for myself."
There are several other cases
of relationships that led to
marriage within the AUC and
there are many other "products"
walking around our campuses.
Family Weekend is a special
time for all of the families of
students here. We should all feel
a sense of pride and joy but there
is no doubt that those families
which were "founded" here feel a
special sense of joy at this time.