That Real Revolutionary Woman!
by Kamerin Chambers
Innovator. Caretaker. "Hey pumpkin puss" greeter. Consoler. Mother of your nurturer. Walking history book. Visionary. Eyes filled with visuals of upcoming generations. Best-friend. Churchgoer. Gift-giver. Radiant beauty. Unforgettable memory. Activist. Comedian. Strong. Wise. Woman.
All of these descriptions construct that "real" revolutionary woman, my grandmother. She has seen generations. She is the creator of my mother and without her there would be no me. This revolutionary have endured harder times because of misfortune, but have given her all since my birth so I can have a much easier life, the best. This woman have been around long enough to tell me what not to do because she has done it and want to protect me from the negative outcomes. So I honor every kiss on the cheek, "Back-in-my- day" stories, "make everything from scratch" recipes, hugs, laughs, flips through every picture album, "tell it like it is" advice, because these tidbits play in my history, my family.
So I had the opportunity to interview that revolutionary woman, my grandma Martha Baylis. I interviewed her on several topics I thought would be fun to hear her response to. So after my "Hey grandma can I interview you?" and her "Hey pumpkin puss, let me just grab my Pepsi." It all began.
Kamerin Chambers (KC)
Martha Baylis (MB)
KC: Where did you group up?
MB: In Chicago IL. In State Way Garden on the south side (laughs), you want the address?
KC: Who are your influences? Role models?
MB: Different elderly people that were older than me.
KC: What challenges did you face as a young woman when you were a teenager?
MB: Peer pressure and smoking. I faced a lot of challenges in school. I wasn't as motivated about wanting to go to school but I started hanging around people who were motivated and my whole mentality changed.
KC: What were issues of your day? (That was important to you)
MB: A lot of the parents were not that educated, so we had to find other peers/people who were educated and motivated to want to help us learn. A lot of parents during my time only reached a certain point of education so we couldn't get help from them. A lot of the parents in my day were single parents so they had to depend on public assistance to help them survive.
KC: What are things young women should show activism towards in our day?
MB: I think the young women in your day are so strong. Young women who are self-motivated should create a Sister-to-Sister group or program for young women who have no parental guidance and also teach sex education, which can also reduce the pregnancy rate.
KC: What does being an activist mean to you?
MB: A leader. Somebody that stands up for what is right. If you did some research on something and someone opposes it, use your research as your source to strengthen your argument.
KC: What do you think the woman's place is?
MB: The person who keeps the family together if she decides to have one. A woman's place is also wherever she desires it to be.
KC: What challenges do you face as a woman?
MB: I don't face as many challenges now that I'm retired as I did in the past when I was working. Before I retired, I had the same experience as my male co-workers but was still paid less even though we had the same responsibilities!
KC: Do you feel being a woman has hindered you? How?
MB: Well like I said before, if I had of been a male at the place where I had been working, I feel I would have gotten paid more. I also feel I would have gotten more respect than I had gotten as a woman. But, I love being a woman, shoot I don't want to be a man anyways!
KC: If you had a dream dinner, who would you invite dead or alive?
MB: All of my relatives that's gone on home to glory.
KC: What woman has influenced you?
MC: My mom. Even though she didn't finish school, she kept our family together. She raised five kids as a single mother and remained strong.
KC: What are your feelings about the upcoming election?
MB: I feel with the election today, the candidates definitely need prayer because they have a lot of work ahead of them (war, turmoil, everything).
KC: So grandma are you going to tell me who you voting for?
MB: You know who I'm voting for, Obama! But, whoever wins they still need prayer (laughs).