My maternal grandmother is a very special person in my life. The story of her life, the obstacles that she overcame, the challenges she conquered, and her ability to stay strong and true to herself and her values have been truly inspirational to me.
I come from a family of strong, independent, and intelligent women. My grandmother was born in the 1940’s to an African American family of 6 children. Her father died when she was very young, leaving my great grandmother with the burden of raising six children alone. My great grandmother worked 4-5 jobs to support her family and even send the eldest to college. This was a big accomplishment not only for a single mom of six but also for an African American woman during that era. My grandmother married young but both she and my grandfather, who is a Navy veteran, went to school at night while working and raising a family to obtain their bachelor degrees. My mother went on to obtain two bachelor’s degrees and her brother, my uncle and an Army veteran, went on to obtain Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees.
My grandmother is very good with math and accounting. She worked for several large companies slowly but surely moving up the ranks to a managerial position. When I asked her how, in a time when not only African Americans but also women were treated as inferior and subjected to racisim and gender discrimination, was she able to thrive and get promoted. She told me that ever since she was little her mother had told her that she would always have to be twice as good and work twice as hard as a man or any other White person. She said that wasn’t really that hard as she always strove for perfection and that achieving more and being better just added to the reward. However, she said that being passed over for promotion or even being told that she would not be able to handle a job because she was a woman or because of her race was insulting and hurtful. But instead of letting it bring her down, she just worked harder for it. She told me to be true to myself and not to be afraid to work hard, stand up for my beliefs, and never compromise my values.
Who she is and how she has chosen to live her life, inspired me to go after what I want and to be confident that with hard work, perseverance and knowledge I can be and do whatever I can dream. I never would have thought that I would be comfortable acting. Yet, I have worked extensively as first an extra and then a stand-in on many major TV shows and movies. And although I had initially chosen Graphic Design as my chosen career field, I decided it wasn’t as good of a fit as I had thought. Although I have earned my Associate’s degree, I am not afraid of the extra time and work it will take to switch my major to Marketing. I am so very grateful for her example.
Coming from a military family, both my father and brother are Marines, I was raised to do what is right and live by the motto, Honor, Courage, and Commitment. “Reports of nursing home residents being beaten, sexually assaulted, neglected, or swindled out of their money have all made national headlines in recent years.” (Nursing Home Abuse Center 2020) Having heard horror stories about the treatment of seniors in nursing homes, I would first see if there were any alternatives to the traditional nursing home. If not, then I would thoroughly research any homes, request references, check the Better Business Bureau for complaints, as well as any online review sites, and would check public records for lawsuits for elder abuse and neglect. I would also visit often and whenever possible taking her away for private conversations on how she is being treated. I would make sure that she had someone with her best interest at heart monitoring her finance. I would make sure that she was periodically examined by a doctor not affiliated with the nursing home. If I had any doubts, I would arrange for her to speak to a psychologist to see if they could determine if she was withholding information about abuse. I would also hire an attorney specializing in this type of case as they would be versed in what evidence to look for and collect and any actions that could be taken to be sure there is applicable law that provides protections. “The Help Efficient, Accessible, Low-Cost, Timely Healthcare (HEALTH) Act of 2011 (H.R. 5), introduced in January, would also restrict liability in cases involving unsafe drugs and medical devices.” (Steinberg, Goodman & Kalish 2019) and “Under the Illinois Nursing Home Care Act, nursing home residents are guaranteed certain rights while staying in a long-term care facility, including the right to be free from abuse and neglect.” (Steinberg, Goodman & Kalish 2019) Above all if my suspicions were founded in any way, I would remove her and would make every attempt to sue them to fullest extent of the law as well as exposing them on every media platform possible so they couldn’t hurt anyone else.
Essay by Lydia Morales