Grandmothers have a special way of doing things that makes everything okay. This is especially true a southern grandmother love and admiration. Today we are featuring the story of Cheyenne Rogers and the influence of all of her Black Southern Belle grandmothers. Cheyenne has shared with us the beautiful images of her grandmothers as well as 3 things her grandmothers taught about being a Black Southern Belle. Check out these images for inspiration below.
A Grandmother’s Love: 3 Things My Grandmothers Taught about being a Black Southern Belle
1.How to Take Care of a Home: A big part of my upbringing was centered on the importance of cooking and keeping a clean and well-decorated house. I learned a lot of tips and tricks that have been passed down in my family for generations. Certain homemade mixes to add to laundry, what cleaning methods work the best, how to remove stains, keep things fresh etc. There was also a huge emphasis on knowing how to decorate. Knowing that adding mirrors to the walls helps open up a room, adding fresh plants or flowers to tables or empty corners because nature always makes things more beautiful, and ways to set a table for different occasions. Cooking was the most important. I was taught how to clean greens, how to cook meats, how to make family made seasoning mixes and spices what brands were the best, what to look for when buying fresh produce, what things to cook first for a meal so all of your dishes would be done around the same time and it wouldn’t go cold before you serve it and just how to be a good cook overall. Knowing how to cook was essential.
2. Endurance: Like alot of African-American women my grandmothers endured a lot. Some worked from 5 in the morning till 6pm as maids sometimes two of three cities away and had to come home and take care of their own family. They grew their own gardens, sew their own clothes and made everything from scratch. They worked all day long, rain or shine, sick or well. They set a tone and example for all the women in my family that giving up was not an option and neither was being lazy. They also encouraged us to pursue higher education to make a better life for future generations.
3. Kindness and Respect: My grandmothers were all very kind-hearted. They would make treats for children in the neighborhood, take in people who had no where to go and let them stay until they got on their feet. They knew how to make people feel appreciated and welcomed. I was raised sending thank you cards and treats, calling people just to tell them I love them, doing charity work, gift giving, supporting people through hard times and giving back to my community. Some people take kindness for granted but it is very much something that is taught to you and I am thankful for my mother and grandmothers teaching me how to love and be kind to others. They also taught me respect. How to properly communicate with elders and people in positions of authority, how to be heard while still being respectful, how to treat people from all walks of life and lastly how to respect and be kind to myself!
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