Tanya Jackson
Denea Jackson's mother
Denea comes from the influence of strong women in her life. She was taught to stand strong for our family morals and values, to put family first and that she can accomplish anything, always placing God first. She instilled in her children the same. She is the best mother to her children. I am so proud!
Danielle Sherrill
Khadeja Sherrill’s mother
Khadeja is an awesome woman of God who attends church regularly and is a great mom. She has taught Michaela at an early age to love the Lord and to be kind to people.
My daughter in a nurturing manner teaches Michaela to be respectful and grateful for the blessings she has been given, one of the greatest gifts from a mother to her child.
They have such a strong bond with one another. I enjoy seeing my daughter laughing at Michaela's corny jokes and pretending to dance as though they were doing a Tik Tok video. That quality time is something Michaela will remember for the rest of her life. As for Nanna (me) I get to see my Michaela all the time and I am grateful that I can.
Michaela and Khadeja are very funny. When they visit, the two of them seem to think my pantry is a store for them to go shopping for all the things they don't have at home. When I explain to them this isn't a Giant Eagle, Michaela says “Nanna it's free here.” You have to love them.
From a grateful Mother and Grandmother
Donna M. Whyte, Ph.D.
Mariama Whyte's mother
As a mother, I did not imagine having the blessing of being so involved in my grandchildren’s lives, especially as my youngest grandson has spent most of his life with his mother and me in the same household. As a single mother myself, I am fully aware of how much I depended on my parents to help raise my two daughters. And now as a grandparent, I am available to care for my grandson not only when my daughter is busy, but he and I have our own special relationship that happens only between grandchildren and grandparents. Living together means my grandson has two loving adults to learn from and depend on as he grows through his teenage years. It also means that my daughter and I have consistent and regular talks about what we think is best for my grandson, and I can support her in any way I can to make this possible. This might mean helping my grandson with homework, taking him to the skate park at Thornton, or having a fun time exploring through his passion for history. I am so happy to have such a major role in my grandson’s village!
Mariama Whyte's story about her mother, Donna M. Whyte
I remember my first day on my new job as a cast member with the 1st Broadway National Tour of The Color Purple in Chicago. I was happy to be back in Chicago where I lived briefly while touring with The Lion King a couple of years before. As excited as I was, I was silently having major separation anxiety.
My son was seven months and I hadn’t spent more than an hour or two away from him since he was born. I had a lot to take on, not only as a new single mother, but my actual job was very demanding. I didn’t have just one role. I had many. In all, I was responsible for knowing 11 parts. Whenever one of these cast members called off, I performed their role. It was a lot! I was feeling more anxiety than my smile let on. I was thinking, Can I really do this? Did I really sign that contract? Then I thought about my son. Is he ok? Did he take his full nap? Is he having fun? Does he miss me? I was missing him so much and I wondered if he missed me enough to feel the nervousness I was feeling. Fortunately, what gave me some comfort was knowing my son was in good hands with my mother while I was at work.
My mother not only helped us move to Chicago from Shaker, but she helped me transition into a new working mom life by staying for a few weeks as we found a great babysitter for him.
I was so grateful and that truly helped ease some of my tension as I was getting acclimated to tour life again, but this time with my new baby. Eventually my son, his babysitter and I found our groove, until a few weeks before opening night my son’s sitter was offered a job she couldn’t pass up and I felt like I was back at square one.
Having to go through the process again of finding the best match for a sitter while getting ready to open a Broadway touring show was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. And that’s when my mother offered me the most amazing gift. She decided that she would come to Chicago every weekend until we headed off to our next city. So I only needed to find a babysitter for the week. The thought of my mother being there on weekends was so comforting to me because I had to be at the theatre all day. Two shows on Saturday and Sunday were no joke, so having her support on the weekends was priceless. I was so grateful, not only for her willingness to help in this way, but it was also a joy for grandma and grandson to bond and spend quality time together.
My mother would fly from Cleveland to Chicago on Saturday mornings, and get to my apartment before I headed to work. When I was finished with my evening show on Sunday nights, she would take the overnight megabus back to Cleveland and go straight to work on Monday morning! I appreciated her so much then and I’m still so thankful for her support and love in helping me raise my son.