Family Life

I  was raised by a single black mother in different parts of the city of Springfield. Some parts goods and some parts flooded with crime rate. My mother always wanted the best for me so she tried her best to keep me away from the negativity. As a whole my immediate family is very close. With all of my uncles and aunts living in the same city for majority of my life. In the early years of my life me and my mom lived with my grandmother until I was about five years old then later we move to a three family household. My family had a love for exploring the afro-centric way of life, prizing the rich culture and African principles. My grandmother gave all four of her children names from the swahili language. Ayanna, Imani, Nangyway, and Kugichaculia or Kugi. Each of them having a specific meaning. Of my grandmothers children, my mother was the eldest and was influenced the most by my grandmothers ways. My name stemming from African origins also, Kamau; this name was taking from the middle name of my Uncle Nangyway. I believe it has Kenyan origins and means silent african warrior. I come from a middle class family with college graduates, starting with my grandmother and grandfather, my grandmother graduated from Spelmen College and my grandfather graduated from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia were they met. My grandmother has her degree in nursing and my grandfather is apart of the FBI and also graduated from the national coast guard academy. You could say I have a lot to look up to along with my mothers accomplishments. As a family we celebrated Kwanzaa as our first holiday (me and my mom) But at my grandmothers house and everyone else's they celebrated christmas as well. Since my mother was apart of the nation of islam, the christian holiday wasn't to be celebrated.