On September 6, 1931, Julia Ann Patterson was born to Jam and Bertha Patterson in the backwoods of Maxton, NC; she was the baby of 5 children. As Julian Ann was growing up, she was living through unpleasant times for African-American people. When Julian Ann was 33 years old in 1964 she was married and had at least 3 children and one was my dad.
In the United States of American history in 1896, the Supreme Court ruled, in Plessy v. Ferguson, that so-called “separate but equal” facilities including public transportation and schools were constitutional. From this time until the Civil Rights Act of 1964, discrimination and segregation were legal and enforceable.
Even though Julian Ann was raised in a rural context the Civil Right Act had an effect on how she and her husband Theodore Mckenzie trained and disciplined their children. I had the pleasure for 33 years to hear many stories Julian Ann would share with the family. On July 14, 2020 Julian Ann passed away leaving 8 children, 13 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren behind. Julian Ann, my grandma, was 6’1, brown skin, and a christian woman. With tears in my eyes, in this third year without my grandma, I can’t help but to smile as I believe she would be happy for me as my daughter and I are unpacking into our Tiny Home.
My grandma shared with me that her family and other family members all lived in a 3 bedroom home (outhouse, one “bedroom and kitchen). If my grandma Great great aunts and great grandfather and grandmother can do it in the early 1900s, Mo’Rissa and I can do the same in 2022.
Update on my Tiny Home:
On July 1, 2022 we officially moved into our new home. It has been 12 days in the Tiny Home. In the video below you will see that I still need to downsize, I have too many things taking up space. Nevertheless, we have two bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen and living/office. Mo’Rissa is enjoying her new home, she has not slept in her room yet because my nephew is in the house with us. Mo’Rissa is getting used to our new home. We are still working on the bathroom, water, plumbing and kitchen. Please pray for me as I need to let go of a lot of things. I’m thankful that our tiny home is on my parents land!
Please take a look at my Amazon list below. We hope that you enjoy the video below.
