Sitting under my Family tree

I hadn't been home in so long that I had to return to my beloved Chicago under the threat that my Momma was going to come to Maryland and pull me back by the hair which could turn out to be significantly painful considering that I have dreads that extend past my shoulders. I love Chicago, I never in my wildest dreams never imagined that I would leave the confines of the Chi, as a youth I always harbored fantasies of traveling elsewhere and spreading my proverbial wings. My travels have led me and my family to 3 states and I am fathoming packing it up and going elsewhere before the end of the summer.

When I got off the plane I had to fight the desire to kiss the ground, I had a list of things that I had to do during the four days that I would be in the Windy City, ride the L, go to the Taste of Chicago, Garrett's Popcorn shop, stuffing my face with endless quantities of fish and chips, but more important than any of the aforementioned things.

I had to see my Big Momma. This is title that is held by my maternal grandmother, in African-American families this is usually a title given to the oldest sister in a family to distinguish her from her siblings after they begin to have grandchildren. My Big Momma originally hails from a small town in Alabama name Fackler and coming to Chicago was always a dream of hers ever since her aunt would visit her and her siblings from Chicago, "She would always have such nice things and stories to tell about Chicago and the work that was there in the factories," she recalls. I never tire of hearing her recollections of how she and her sisters made their way to Chicago from Alabama after my great-grandfather passed away, "It was too many of us and Momma couldn't take care of all of us kids so, we had to fend for ourselves."

My Big Momma is a part of history; she was a small cog in the Great Migration, which is generally known as the largest internal migration of people in United States in which over 4 million African-Americans left the confines of the South to search for better opportunities for their families. Chicago, as well as many other Northern cities were seen as a land of opportunity for African-Americans in the South that offered a slackening from racism, segregation, the promise of better schools were some of the factors in the resulting migration to the North. The Chicago Defender, a black owned daily newspaper was very instrumental in drumming up the clamoring for Chicago. The south lost approximately 20% of its black population during the Great Migration.

My Big Momma left home at the tender age of 16 with her two sisters, my aunt Helen and my late aunt Lillian and they made their way to Chicago to lay down roots. My grandfather and uncle called got drafted into Army during World War II, so my Big Momma and her sisters bought a house on the West side of Chicago and split their expenses between each other until the war ended. When the war ended and their husbands came back home they began raising their families, Big Momma stayed on the west side of Chicago and my aunt's relocated to the western suburbs.

I always hang on her every word as she regales me of stories that speak of an unshakable work ethic and the strength of family. When I'm with my Big Momma I know where I get the penchant for hard work and the respect for family from, it is immense sense of pride that I get whenever I spend time with her. Big Momma is knocking on 80, but you wouldn't know it. She just took and passed the test for the renewal of her driver's license. "I want to be around here as long as I can do for myself son," "Well big Momma you know that they are saying that 80 is the new 60, they are projecting that people are going to be living into their 100's like it aint nothing," She leans back in the town and looks at me with a wistful look in her eye and tells me "Well son, I'm still feeling good!"