Imani Bolling

IMANI BOLLING

Imani Bolling, a longtime Greenburgh resident, explains her parent's origins in Virginia and her life in Greenburgh.

Imani’s grandfather was the son of a man born in slavery, a black woman who was enslaved, and a white plantation owner. He had two other siblings and was in slavery for a short time before the emancipation proclamation was declared. The plantation owner gave land to all three of his sons. Imani’s grandfather used this to start a largely unsuccessful tobacco farm. He had fifteen children, one being Imani’s mother. Imani’s parents were born in Virginia, right outside of Petersburg. They grew up facing a lot of discrimination in Virginia in the Jim Crow South, with segregated schools and bathrooms. In 1946, her parents migrated to Mamaroneck, NY, and got married. 

Imani’s father served in the military in India during World War II and learned various carpentry skills because he was sent to a non-combat area. Later, once he exited the military, he got a house through the GI Bill. It was a two-bedroom house that her father converted into a four-bedroom house with a furnished basement. 

Growing up, Imani excelled in learning, and in her elementary school years with the homogenous grouping in Greenburgh, she was placed in the gifted and talented class, although there were very few black people and many whites. Her teacher, Ms. Philliphs, became a huge inspiration for her. She was an African American woman from Barbatos who was very athletic, pretty, and a former model, and she spoke multiple languages.

However, when she went to Richard J Bailey as a 5th grader, the school switched to heterogeneous groupings, separating the white and black students. She was placed into a class with struggling students known to have learning disabilities and was upset. Her mother was furious and went to the school, but they convinced her that she belonged there. But that did not stop Imani. Her teacher loved her and encouraged her to try. So Imani went through 5th, 6th, and 7th-grade books, learning all she could; what she felt was meant to hold back expanded her horizons and accelerated her. 

Imani continued to persevere through this injustice throughout her life. Later in her high school years students, after an unfair, racist act by the school administration, a group of black students, herself included, decided to do something about the situation and met with teachers and students to organize a strike. For three days, they would walk out of class and sit in the auditorium until their demands were met. They filled the auditorium. Many parents and community members came in and gave support. In the end, all demands were met. She found that her experience as a leader and involved in social justice and civil rights was so fulfilling and encouraged at Greenburgh.