Introduction
Seated in her backyard, Kristina Jones is wearing a tangerine linen top with white pants which she has creatively adorned with a beautiful piece of necklace that made of a mix of purple and turquoise ceramics. Her choice of color makes her vibrant, and she has been eagerly waiting for my arrival. She looks psychologically prepared for the interview that I had earlier informed her about through a phone call conversation we had a week ago. Her backyard is beautifully mowed with a variety of flowers making the environment blissful. She welcomes me with a smile and readily gets up to hug me and offers a seat next to her. After the salutations and warm welcome, she anxiously asks what exactly I would like to interview her about.
I begin by asking about her childhood, where she grew up and the region where her family lived. With brightened eyes, you could tell that she had fond memories of her childhood. Kristina Jones, who just turned forty years, affirmed that she spent most of her childhood years with her nuclear family made up of both parents and two brothers and their grandmother. She was the last born and the only girl in her family, and the most cheeky of them all due to her adventurous characters most of which were depicted in her childhood photos. Her parents caught her on camera practicing things that children her age were unlikely to do. For instance, she proudly handed me a photograph of her at the age of three trying to imitate the American cadets that were proudly embraced amongst the African American communities. Kristina’s family lived in South Carolina for the longest time she remembers; hence she is aware of the transformations that have taken place since her childhood to the time she chose to move out as an adult. Together with her family, they loved spending their weekends at the beach, and most of the family’s valued times and memories were during their picnics. ‘I enjoyed my childhood, it impacted a lot into who I am today,’ she asserted with a bright smile on her face.
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Concerning what her parents did for a living, Kristina affirmed that her mother was a registered nurse and was working for one of the community healthcare facility within the area. ‘Her reputation as a woman in the neighborhood was respected, and most little girls including me looked forward to following her steps.’ She added. Kristina Jones affirmed that they rarely saw their father because he was in the navy under which he furthered his career in medicine. As a family of the African Americans, the Jones was fond of the stories in which their parents outlined concerning their past lives. Kristina asserted that her grandparents used to work on a farm of a white settler in North Carolina before they moved to the south after secession. It was through the help of the white family that her father got an education. Together with the mum, the two families were close friends, and ideally, both of their parents worked under Mr. and Mrs. Hughes who had a French background. The Hughes were among the white settlers who impacted the lives of their servants by educating their children. Mrs. Hughes who was a pediatrician took her time to mentor and train interested kids who desired to read and right, secretly. It was through this that Kristina’s mum ventured into nursing and later on furthered her studies as a healthcare giver. According to her father, the segregation period ignited the desire for the black community to make something out of their lives. Therefore, in line with the stories that her father used to tell them, he joined the navy in the quest to challenge the society’s perception of the African American community. Moreover, the father affirmed that the son of Mr. Hughes who was a close friend was a trained marine soldier and it is during their closure time that he got interested in working with the navy. Kristina insisted that their family was lucky to work under the Hughes because unlike other African American families, they had a chance to explore into their life desires and build on careers that they found suitable for them. Unfortunately for the Hughes, they were attacked by unknown people and killed for impacting and empowering the lives of their servants and children. According to Kristina’s father, her grandfather was killed too for trying to protect his master during the attack. The family had to seek safety, and that is when they moved from North Carolina to the South Carolina region. The son of the Hughes chose to seek refuge back to his roots in France. By the segregation, her family was affected by the loss of her grandfather and displacement of the entire family. She claimed that her father was in his teenage years, together with his siblings they had to indulge in casual works that would support the entire family and the grandmother who was now widowed. It was at this point that the desire to be someone great lingered in the mind of Kristina’s father.
‘ So how did your parents meet?’ I asked.
With a chuckle, she answered, ‘you remember I told you that the two families were friends working for the Hughes back in North Carolina? Well, after the attack all the African families resorted to finding safer places. My mother’s family chose to move to Chicago because most of their relatives lived there, while my father’s moved to South Carolina since it was quite convenient.’ ‘The two reunited when my mother landed a job as a nurse in South Carolina, and she bumped into my father who had gone for tests in the health facility that my mum worked. They started courting and married in 1969, and as you can see, the family grew.’
‘ How big was your, family when you were growing up?’
‘ After my parents got married, my father took upon himself to care for his mother because his older siblings had ventured into careers that required them to move from city to city.’ ‘This was a blessing since we spent most of our times during the day with grandma while mama was attending to the sick in the healthcare center. Their relationship was one of a kind since grandma kept asserting that my mama was a daughter she never had.’ Kristina Jones praised her grandma for instilling confidence and ability to embrace womanhood with pride as an African American. She also affirmed that her parents would spend time with the family to facilitate their values into her and the siblings. ‘Our parents were so strict on ensuring that we turned out to be important beings in the society. The presence of grandma in our home played a significant role in impacting our habits and behaviors.’ Despite the frequent absences of our dad due to his roles in the Navy, my brothers were obliged to stay respectful to their seniors and were trained to be responsible men through the involvement in family roles. On the other hand, I think my father’s achievement as an African man pushed my brothers to want to be recognized as the sons of a Navy soldier.’ Kristina was keen to assert that her parents insisted on them to work harder because life according to them was not easy for a black citizen. They kept reminding them that despite their ability to get a chance in high professions, the fact that they were colored deterred their progress which always faced hindrances both form the black and white community. According to Kristina, most blacks were comfortable with certain jobs like being servants in a white man’s house, and truck driving for most men. She claims that some of the values that their parents instilled in them were to challenge the norm and outdo the societal perspective of the African Americans.
Education, Dating, and Adolescence
Regarding her education, Kristina affirmed that her family valued child empowerment which was evident from positions that her parents held in the society. Following the segregation, Kristina confirmed that she attended a school that majority of the students were white. Other African families opted to take their children in schools that the majority were colored out of fear for their children’s safety considering the events that had been taking place during the 50’ s and 60’s. Despite the disparities observed between the two races, it was evident that division was inevitable even for the parents who were confident enough to go against the norm within communities at that time (Cosgrove, 2012) . Unlike today, the whites and blacks in South Carolina were living quietly closely during Kristina’s childhood, and despite the intense segregation observed in other areas within South Carolina, it was quite minimal within the location where they lived. Kristina embraced education until she enrolled in the North Carolina University where she took communication and Film Studies which were the foundation to her career today. Besides, she also trained as a child psychologist, hence her involvement with children programs that led her to start a playschool in South Carolina.
During her childhood, parents were okay with children of different genders mingling. In the seventies, girls of eighteen years were at liberty to go for dates with their male friends without the worry of their parents that something terrible might happen to them. Kristina remembers that her grandma prepared her and helped her dress up when she was going on her first date with a family friend who was also a college mate. She vividly remembers her grandma saying, ‘my dear, you got to look your best all the time, not just when you are going on a date.’ She was enlightened on how to carry herself around as a young woman and was expected to respect her being which was a determinant of whether she would earn it back from both her peers and everyone else in the society.
Being the only girl amongst her siblings, Kristina highlighted that she was lucky to be around her nurse mum and grandmother. During her puberty years, both her mother and grandmother had prepared her for what to expect and the changes that would take place in her body. Moreover, before she had her first menstrual cycle, Kristina remembers her mother bringing with her a female reproductive demo which she used to enlighten her on what will be taking place in her body in few years to come. Moreover, she remembers a science teacher embarking on the same making it easier for her to embrace her adolescence stage before it even commenced. According to Kristina, she remembers sharing so much with her female friends who each had a level of information regarding sexuality that they had learned from their parents and older siblings. From all these sources, Kristina affirms that she never had any difficulty embracing her womanhood as a teenager.
Household Roles
‘ From the community, I learned that the kitchen is for the woman, but my father defied that perception.’ She asserted. Kristina vividly remembers the moments and days when her father was back from his duties he would prepare great sumptuous meals for the family. The dad kept insisting that his mama taught him well. Moreover, his profession dictated that they do every role without outlining that some of the duties were designed for the female. Learning from her father, Kristina’s brothers were entitled to participating in most of the house chores since their parents were strong believers of responsible men deserving responsible women. On the other hand, the brothers had no option but to play a role in ensuring that their home was welcoming since they were the oldest and she was the youngest of them all so until she reached of age, they were helping around with most of the house chores. While her mother was a career woman in her time, she ensured that her home was presentable before she left for work and was back on time to prepare dinner when she had a flexible shift. On the days that her shifts demanded her time in the health facility, it was her grandma who ensured that the family would come home for hot meals. Concerning their education, Mr. Jones made sure that all his children acquired the best education to the level they desired while together with the wife, they shared other financial responsibilities like acquiring a home for the family. With time, labor defined the roles in the family because after she grew, her brothers were quite reluctant to help with the kitchen roles unless they were summoned by their parents. Only the second born brother was dedicated to consistently assisting Kristina and her grandmother in the kitchen which is probably the main reasons as to why he ventured into culinary arts and today is a renowned chef with restaurants across the coastal regions. The older brother chose to follow her parent’s footsteps and became a cardiologist.
Segregation, Racism, Sexism, and Colorism
‘ Despite the fact that we attended a school that was mixed with whites and lived a neighborhood that was mixed with both races including countable Asians; it was a big deal for an African American to live in such environs. Discrimination came from fellow blacks who were living in other regions probably because they felt we were indulging in a place that is not meant for the colored. On the other hand, the majority of the whites felt as if we alongside other African American were invading their territories.’ Kristina gave an example of a time when a professor refused to mark her assignment that was required to express the experience of an individual by their race because it was titled, ‘…but my blood is red too!’ Kristina, on the contrary, appreciated the experience she had from her neighborhood because it helped her learn and explore the lifestyle of the whites and Asian living close to them.
The issue of sexism was not only based on a specific race but was experienced in all ethnic communities around. The women were considered weaker sex and her indulgence in professions that were defined for men was regarded as a taboo. On the other hand, female photos were used in various commercials to express the position of a woman in the society (Garber, 2015). Despite the efforts of women to raise in society and embrace empowerment most of them face opposition from both men and women. From men because it was their identity to be leaders and in power, from fellow women, because they had internalized that a woman cannot rise to a given level since she remains to be a home caregiver no matter what areas she ventures in. In other instances, some courses in colleges had very few women who were bold enough to defy the norm. For example, Kristina affirmed that by the time her eldest brother graduated, there was only three female who were left from the ten that had taken up the class in a total of thirty students. On the other hand, her mother confirmed that during their meetings at work, there was no male nurse until recently where few are getting into the field without feeling that it is a woman’s profession. ‘The skin color was one of the elements that identified individuals and was a determinant of how you would be treated.’ She said. ‘I remember when I shared with my high school teacher on the profession I wanted to partake; she looked at me with amazement and remarked that there were very few blacks in the film industry.’ ‘I remember looking at her with a broad smile and said, my papa, have taught me otherwise because it’s not about who is there and who isn’t.’
Parenting and Career
Kristina got married at twenty-eight and a set of twins both girls. She exclaimed that her desires were fulfilled as a mother and that she decided to dedicate her time to bringing up her children. ‘I think, I had built on my career and it was time I brought up a family the best way I knew.’ It was during this time that Kristina resigned as a film producer and chose to stay at home and focus on her hobbies and two daughters. During her stay at home, Kristina ventured into creating safe spaces for younger children since she had studied on child psychology. ‘I knew, I would make something out of the knowledge I earned as a psychologist, and it came just at the right time.’ Kristina Jones dedicated her time to building play schools that were her dream cometrue. ‘Film will always be my first love, but working with children gives me satisfaction and pure joy.’ She resorted proudly. Kristina affirmed that when it came to disciplinary on her daughters, she would not do anything different from what her parents did. ‘Times have changed, but I still possess the family values that my parents instilled in me which have been a solid foundation for bringing up my children.’
Religion and Classism
Kristina indicated that she was brought up in a Christian home in which she built and exercised her values. Her grandmother was a staunch believer who kept reminding them that their lives were sacred, hence they had no power to discriminate other individuals by their flaws. For this reasons, Kristina and her siblings were not affected by classism despite their parent’s position in the society. In fact, she asserted that not unless she told someone that she came from a well-off family they wouldn’t know. Kristina claims that it through this practice she has been able to climb up her career ladder and meet people from all walks of lives who impacted hers in various ways.
Conclusion
Throughout the interview, Kristina implied a life of fulfillment since she raised against the odds through the help of her parent’s achievements and family values. Unlike most African American women who have a negative perspective of their past and the experiences that their ancestors had to go through because of slavery, Kristina portrays has indicated a sense of optimism. It is evident that things have changed and measures that parents used during her time to teach and punish children are completely different. Moreover, as a young woman Kristina was lucky to be a daughter of a nurse who was readily available to attend to her mysteries during her puberty stage. Her encounter as the only girl amongst boys, challenged her into being an achiever that she is today and is probably one of the reasons as to why she never feared to venture into careers that were men dominated. Her decisions to quit her well established career in film production to take care of her twins may startle many since in the current world most career-women would opt otherwise including not giving birth. The construction of playschools is a project that focuses not only to fulfill her dreams but to impact on the lives of little ones while helping other parents to access efficient services meant for their children. The impact she has as an African-American woman in the society ignites the desire to empower more women for purposes of ensuring that they fearlessly embrace their capabilities.
References
Cosgrove, B. (2012, February 1). LIFE and Civil Rights: Segregation in 1956 South Carolina . Retrieved April 18, 2018, from TIME: http://time.com/3636362/life-and-civil-rights-segregation-in-1956-south-carolina/
Garber, M. (2015, June 15). ‘You've Come a Long Way, Baby’: The Lag Between Advertising and Feminism . Retrieved April 18, 2018, from The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/06/advertising-1970s-womens-movement/395897/
