A Glimpse into Her Life

A Casual Conversation with My Maternal Grandmother

Wild Card: An Interview with Serenia McGee

For my Wild Card, I decided to change things up and interview a member of my maternal side of the family. Because the focus of my project was on my paternal side of the family, I wanted to include my mother’s side of the family in some way, and I felt that an interview with my grandmother would be a great way to do that. My grandmother’s name is Serenia McGee, and she is a phenomenal woman. I am happy that I could include her in my project.

While the interview went well, there were a few difficulties that I had to overcome. First and foremost, I wasn’t able to interview her in person because she lives in Jackson, Mississippi. Indeed, the ability to speak to her in person and to show her portion of my project would have improved my interview in many ways. If I choose to interview her in the future, I will sit down with her and really dig deep into her wealth. Another hurdle that I had to jump over was the fact that my maternal side of the family doesn’t have any written family history. As a result, my grandmother wasn’t able to give me a significant amount of specific information. Nevertheless, I am extremely thankful for the information that my grandmother provided in this interview.

Enjoy!

Alicia: When and where were you born?

Grandma: I was born in Murphy, Mississippi on January 9, 1939

Alicia: I know that your mom died when you were three, but do you remember anything about her based on what you may have actually experienced or from what people told you about her?

Grandma: My mama died. They told me I was three years old. I don’t know anything about her. They didn’t have any pictures or nothing. No pictures…I don’t have a picture. The only thing I went by was my aunt. My aunt raised me until my daddy remarried. I stayed with my dad and my aunt until he remarried. And see I don’t…Back in the day, they didn’t have no pictures. I don’t know how she looked or nothing. The only thing I go by is what they say. They say she was brown-skinned…short, brown-skinned, round face and had curly hair. Now, that’s hear say. So, I don’t remember her.

Alicia: What about your dad? Do you remember anything about him?

Grandma: Yeah. I remember my dad. My father raised me. My father remarried. I think I was four years old. I was ‘bout four years old when my father remarried. He lived with me, and we stayed…He raised me up. After her remarried, he raised me up. He died in 1968, you know. He put me through school, and he’s deceased in 1968. My mama died in 1941. That’s when she died. All this hear say. She died in 1941.

Alicia: Describe the most memorable experience of your childhood.

Grandma: I had a joyful experience. I had people that, uh, my aunts and cousins and all of that that I was raised up with, and I was around. My childhood was lovely. I didn’t have no problems.

Alicia: What was it like for you growing up in the South?

Grandma: Well, the only thing I know was in the South. I didn’t know nothing different. Everything was okay, you know. I was born on a farming community. The only place I ever lived was in the South, and everything was okay. I was born in a farming community, where we done farming and…I went to school. Do you need where we lived?

Alicia: Yeah. You can add that.

Grandma: Okay. I was raised up in a farming community in Murphy, Mississippi, and that’s where I went to school, Murphy Elementary School. Then, I went to…After elementary school, I went to Summers High School in Hollandale. That’s the only thing I knew. Everything was okay.

Alicia: Can you tell me a little bit about your siblings?

Grandma: I had a brother. The only siblings I had…I don’t know anything. The only thing I know is my sister…I had a sister and brother. They raised…Now, they said I had 5. I had seven other siblings before me, but they died. And the only thing I had (was) my only brother and sister. My brother died in 19…He left and went to the army. He left Murphy at a(n) early age and went to the army. He died. That was back in 40…He went to the army in ’45. He died in 1965. And my sister, Willie Mae, she helped too. She helped to raise, you know. She was my one that I had…She kind of mentored me when I was little, but they all left. They all left when they got big enough to leave the farm. They left the farming community. He moved to Chicago. She’s still here. She’s still living. I have one sister that lives in Chicago so.

Alicia: Who is the oldest family member that you our aware of? What do you know about him or her?

Grandma: I knew my grandmother on my daddy’s side, and I was named after her. I know her well. We had the opportunity to go visit her in Jackson, and she would come to the Delta to visit us. So, she died. I don’t remember the year. She died while I was in high school. Now, that’s the only one I know. Now, the others, I don’t know anything about them.

Alicia: What was it like to have to assume the role of head of household after Granddaddy Earl died in 1996?

Grandma: Oh, it was…Everything was fine. I had learned to…I had gone to a school and worked. I was being self-sufficient. I knew how to manage stuff. I had to become self-sufficient. I could manage stuff, manage my business, manage the household and everything. Does that make sense?

Alicia: Yes. What inspired you to go into education?

Grandma: What really got me motivated to go into…when I found out that early childhood was what I wanted to be (do). I volunteered with Head Start for say, for one year. I worked with children from three to five, three, four, and five year old children, as a volunteer for one year. I also, during that time, I was elected secretary of the parent committee. As being secretary of the parent community, I had some opportunities to attend many workshops and go into training. I was dealing with the management, how to develop age appropriate activities, how to implement age appropriate activities. Then, I went on. I worked there a long time, then I decided that that was my calling. I went back to school and got my degree in Early Childhood. I got 36 hours dealing with…the infant toddler program. Then, I went on and got my Master’s in Early Childhood Education, and I had the opportunity to work in the program to communicate, to be a role model. I had the opportunity to work with children at the early ages. Then, I worked with the parent. We had to work with the parents to teach them how to be self-sufficient, how to work with their children in developing age appropriate activities. So, that’s it. I’ve done that for what, 48 years. Really 49 in all. Forty-nine. I had the opportunity to work in this capacity for 49 years. I was a teacher’s aid for so many years. Then, I was a teacher. Then, I became a supervisor; and as supervisor, I was like a principal. I was supervisor of the center.

Alicia: Yes. How does it feel to be the matriarch of the family? What does that mean to you, and what is your most important role or responsibility?

Grandma: My most important role is to continue to be a role model for my children and my grandchildren. A positive role model for my family. And teach them how to become self-sufficient. Teach them how to look, listen, ask questions, learn, then apply what they’ve learned at whatever task. Whatever task that they’ve endeavored, whatever they want to do, you know. Be positive. Stay on whatever endeavor or whatever activity they want to do. Stay focused on the task, and treat others as they wish to be treated. Have a positive attitude.

Alicia: Is there anything else important about our family or our family’s history that you would like to discuss?

Grandma: We try to have a family gathering at dinners and stuff. That’s about all because we hadn’t had no family reunion. We just about the only family reunion because all the other folk (are) scattered about. I’m talking about (an) immediate family reunion. Tradition…If we can, we get together for the holidays.