My Story
My story takes place in Liberia, a petite nation situated on the western seaboard of sub-Saharan Africa. Founded by emancipated Americans, it remains relatively obscure. My upbringing involved the presence of five sisters—one sibling by blood and four hailing from Liberia. I have fond memories of cooking snails in tin cans, traversing wetlands alongside native African youngsters, procuring dehydrated fish from street merchants, and visiting villages where caucasians had never set foot.
Bertie, my biological sibling, and I grew up believing we were African, even though our true heritage was quite the opposite: we were white Americans. Our upbringing was fully immersed in the customs and traditions of West African society, as our parents were missionaries who worked there.
At seventeen, I bid farewell to my family in Africa and embarked on a journey of over 6,000 miles to begin college education in the United States. Soon after, a personal tragedy hit our home and thwarted the life Bertie and I had carefully crafted.
Over time, I gradually acclimated to my new home. Together with my spouse, we raised three children while simultaneously launching a multi-ethnic church in Orangeburg, South Carolina.
Although I had taken a hiatus from academic pursuits to focus on motherhood, I later enrolled in college to pursue a degree in graphic design. Afterward, I juggled the demands of managing our family business and still play a role in its operation.
The most cherished gifts in my life include my devoted husband, Artie, with whom I have shared forty years, my three grown children and their respective spouses, and our ever-expanding grandchildren. Presently, my husband and I call the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina our home.
In an upcoming memoir, I delve into a heart-wrenching tragedy that transpired during my younger years and the profound ways in which it continues to shape my existence even after four decades have elapsed.
