Help me get to my Nana's funeral in JA
Mekyea mo (i greet you all) brothas and sistas, supporters and advocates,
You all may know me as the founder and director of Katiopa Watoto Shule now located in Toronto, Ontario. I am also the mother of a young son, the daughter of Fay Forbes and the grandchild of Arabella "Pou" Morgan who recently passed away in Scotts Pass, Clarendon-Jamaica. Her homegoing ceremony is going to be on the 1st-2nd of March, 2013 in Scotts Pass, Jamaica.
I have been unable to see my grandmother for over a decade because i did not have the economic resources to go to Jamaica. Many of you know that i am a proud, unapologetic Garveyite-Afrikan nationalist. This is because i carry the strong bloodline of Pou, who was a remarkably courageous Jamaican woman who did everything in her power to provide and care for her children and grandchildren.
She was an entrepreneur who had her own self made business when she was young. Even in her old age, she was a staunch businesswoman. She sold "frozen ice" to the people in her local district. When i was there on visits i would help her sell too. She was an excellent cook (with a big appetite!) and a verrry loving woman, especially to her children & grandchildren, who she loved dearly.
In 2011, inspired by her entrepreneurial spirit, i created Katiopa Watoto Shule, an independent Afrikan centered learning center. I began a f/t summer school program for Our children, completely on my own in June 2012. I had very little support but i did it anyways. It was a great success. So those of you who have shown appreciation for my work and dedication should know that this is a legacy that i inherited directly from Pou and the many foremothers that came before her.
She also raised a generation of grand-children as well, which included my eldest sister who was raised with her since she was small. I had the opportunity in the late 90s to early 2000s to create a strong bond with my grandmother. I would write her letters regularly and she returned them signed always with "your loving grandmother". We sat down and had late night as well as early morning reasonings in JA. When she asked me why i always dress in Afrikan clothes, I told her about Nyabinghi, Rastafari and our strong connection to Afrika as Jamaicans. She was very proud of me for the info i shared.
I prepared breakfast for her in the mornings, with tea or hot cocoa, swept the yard and ate dinner with her at nights. I would help her to cook snapper fish, especially the way she liked it, on the open fire. Snapper always has been my favorite fish as well. We have alot in common, including the fact that i have short "nappy" hair like her (which i am now verry proud of) and i grow facial hair on my face, like she did.
Sometimes when i stayed out too late she would lock me out, and i would have to "sweet her up" so she would forgive me and let me back in again! I miss her sooo much when i think of the memories we have together. The reason i love bammy and fried fish is because of her. The reason that i work hard to care, educate and provide for my son regardless of the challenges is also because it is part of the legacy that Pou handed down to me.
I love her deeply and i need to be there at her funeral to see her this last time. Those of you who are also close to your grandparents will understand why i feel this way. However, i am currently underemployed right now because the chinee ppl dem who i was working for have cut my hours down to a minimum. Tomorrow, February 12th is my Earthstrong so this is also a Very special time for me. The greatest gift i could receive for my Earthstrong is to be in Jamaica to send Pou home and to see her beautiful face one last time.
So i am calling on all those of you who support the Katiopa Watoto Shule family to support and assist me in making this final journey to say "Nante yie" to my beloved Nana, Arabella "Pou" Morgan....any donation will help. This is my last opportunity to see Pou before she goes to her final resting place. Meda ase in advance for your understanding!!!
*Those of you who donate, will be sent a Katiopa Adinkra poster, signed and certified by my son and myself, upon my return from Jamaica. Please send me your mailing address to [email redacted]*
