My Poem: Work Hard Today, Enjoy Tomorrow

Mam sirah Sallah
Work Hard Today, Enjoy Tomorrow Growing up in the Gambia, West Africa, I was always asked whether I was mixed race or “half-caste”. This was a term used to refer to people of fairer skin, a part of me, I had inherited from my grandmother, from mother’s side. Barbra Allen Kathleen King, would have almost been 90 years old today, if she was still alive. She was the root that held our family tree together, and was revered by her family members, who fondly called her “Babsy” or “Mam”. I have always been proud to be called her granddaughter, and I am ecstatic to share my family history and the woman we owe it to. On the 16th of January 1928, in the British colony of Banjul, The Gambia, a beautiful baby girl was born to a Scottish doctor and Sierra Leonean woman. The Scottish doctor, was my great-grandfather who fell in love with my great grandmother, after meeting her on the streets of Banjul, formerly known as Bathurst. He

However, after the birth of my mother and her siblings, my grandmother decided to retire, and become a homemaker, while my grandfather supported the family. During that time in history, The Gambia was not as developed as it is today, most of the population lived the capital city of Banjul. I can recall vivid memories, of my grandmother describing the way of life back then, and all the hardships they had to go through. Certain things such as transport were difficult to access, the literacy rate was low, and the country was still under British rule. However, the Gambian values and traditions were still upheld such as, always greeting elders with your right hand, lowering your head when greeting someone much older, and always eating together as a family. These are values, she made sure were instilled in her children, and