You are always your mother's baby

As we celebrate Woman's History Month, I always take 'Publisher's Privilege' and write about the woman that I admire most, my mother, Regina Wilson. She gave me guidance and direction that has made me the woman that I am today.

It's hard to believe that I have lived over 20 years without her. But what I rely on are the values that she put into me and my siblings during the time that she was with us. I often time can hear her voice giving me direction.

Mom, I'm bored. She would say 'Read a Book'. I used that on Alexandria and she uses that with her kids. Her love of reading has passed through three generations.

'Don't go out of the house with a scarf on your head' Always look presentable.

To whom much is given, much is required."

We went to Church camp in the summer. We took dance lessons at the Beechwood Center. My siblings took piano lessons. All of that helped build our character.

She always wrote us letters when we were away in college. She had bad penmanship, so we had to figure out what she was saying. But that didn't stop her from writing us letters. Sometimes she wrote three at a time because it was overlap with three of the four of us in college at the same time. It is only a seven year spacing between us - Derek, Ingrid, Me and Angie.

As I was looking through some old pictures, I came across the one above. That was taken after my graduation from Tuskegee Institute (it was Institute, before it became University) with a hard earned Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering. That last year of engineering classes were HARD. I remember calling home crying and saying, "I can't do it. I'm changing my major." She stood firm, 'No you are not. You can do it.' Back and forth we went. But at the end of the conversation, she had persuaded me that I could do. So a year and a summer session later, I walked across the stage. But I remember as I walked back to my seat, I couldn't stop crying. My friends, Darius Crayton and Vickie Thomas, came to my rescue and just hugged me and kept repeating , 'You did it. You did it.' Until I stopped crying. (They knew my struggle. They were in the classes with me.).

Back to my mom. .. Even though she knew I was happy for that day, she had her vision of me accepting my hard earned diploma and it didn't include me with Zillions (braids) in my hair. When her and my dad saw me once they got into town, her first words were, 'I know you not going to wear your hair like that?' I said yes, I'm going to have my Cap on. She said, 'No you are not." Well you know who won that battle. So instead of them seeing Tuskegee and us going to dinner, we were in my apartment. I sat on the floor and she took ALL of those braids out of my hair. All evening, just like I was a little girl in the kitchen on Beechwood Street getting my hair done. At 23 years old, I was still her baby. Her decision still ruled.

I miss her so much, but I have so many memories to keep me directed and encouraged. My challenge is to make sure that I am living up to her legacy.

Gina Wilson Steward

CEO/Publisher