Women Inspiring Women- Education Was the Path to Freedom with Guest Author and Anthropologist, Dr. Faith Mitchell
- Women Inspiring Women- Education Was the Path to Freedom with Guest Author and Anthropologist, Dr. Faith Mitchell 28:44
Once Faith and I had a confirmed our record date and time, Dr. Mitchell wrote saying “coincidentally this is Juneteenth. What interesting alignment and a good opportunity to honor the ancestors who paved the way for so many of us today.” And I couldn’t have agreed more.
Ophelia, My guest’s mother and one of twelve children, was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Faith shares stories of her mother and how enthusiastic and encouraging she was. She wanted Faith to experience anything and anywhere, including a love for a robust education, traveling with her mom and dad and Faith loved spending time with her grandmother and mother and listening to stories about the family from past generations.
Faith also loved spending time outdoors in nature exploring. When she was a young girl she lived in rural Michigan mainly because her mother insisted her daughter go to an excellent school. They found a farmer who was desperate to sell his home and though it was an all white, restricted community, he sold it to the Mitchell’s.
Her mom used to say, “Faith, make something of yourself,” and because the country was still segregated her mom used to speak to her and say “Black people have to progress and education is the way to progress.” Another reflection Faith shared with me is another favorite saying of her mom’s which is “the parent opens the door and the child walks through.”
There’s so much more to this conversation. I hope you enjoy the listen. Faith is fascinating. She’s passionate about this country and the journey of her forefathers and all that they fought for in order to become the best that they could be.
My guest was sure to point out that “Ophelia was smart, inquisitive and open to learning anything and everything.She studied to be a teacher.”
“Both women are ancestors who have been inspirations to me because of their sense of agency–which comes across in the photos–and their courage against the odds.
Captured in the photo of Faith and her mother Ophelia – “it captures my mother and me in 1963 in the Painted Desert and reflects the fact that my parents valued exploration even in the pre-Civil Rights period when most Black people didn’t have an opportunity to Travel–and it could be dangerous to do so. My mother tried to open doors for me whenever she could and that’s the terminology she used,” Faith recalled.
The word grio translates to one who is an oral historian and storyteller originally from West Africa.
INSTAGRAM:@emmas_postcard_album and @hoodoo_medicine
LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/faith-mitchell-0646b313
OTHER: YouTube – https://youtu.be/YeEWX6beGAQ.
WEBSITE: https://www.drfaithmitchell.com/
Emma’s Postcard Album, Black Lives in the Early Twentieth Century is now available from the University Press of Mississippi, hashtag#Amazon, and hashtag#barnesandnoble!
“Should Have Listened To My Mother” is an ongoing conversation about mothers and the roles they play in our lives. And my guests answer the question, ‘are you who you are today because of, or in spite of, your mother’? You’ll be amazed at what the responses are.
“Should Have Listened To My Mother” would not be possible without the generosity, sincerity and insight from my guests. In getting ready to launch my podcast, so many were willing to give their time and share their personal Relationships with their mother.
Some of my guests include Baritone Singer Christopheren Nomura, Pulitzer Prize Winning Journalist Tim Wacker, Activist Kim Miller, Freighter Sea Captain Terry Viscount, Film Production Manager Peg Robinson, Professor of Writing Montclair State University Dr. Bridget Brown, Tammy Steckler, attorney and family advocate @CUNY Law; NYC First Responder/NYC Firefighter Mark Heingartner, Child and Adult Special Needs Activist, Maryellen Valyo Cole and Roger Evens, Property Manager in New Jersey and so many more talented and insightful women and men.
I’ve worked in the broadcasting industry for over four decades. I’ve interviewed so many fascinating people including musicians, celebrities, authors, activists, entrepreneurs, politicians and more.
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