My Story Begins with My Mother’s Story…

Sitting in a talk given by Dr. Consuela Ward, On Healing Black Girl Pain, she states, “Our story begins with our mother’s story.” I thought, Yes! My mother, Margaret Griffin Baker was the 2nd child born to her parents, L.C. and Willie Mae Adkins on April 13, 1946. She was born in Cook County Hospital and raised on the South Side of Chicago. Mom grew up very poor often referencing how she and her siblings rotated days in elementary school because they had to share shoes.

Mom dropped out of high school at the age of 16, after she became pregnant. She and my father Charles Griffin married on March 27, 1963. I was born on May 16th nearly 1 month after Mom’s 17th birthday. This young black couple set out on the journey of marriage and growing a family on the Southside of Chicago in the height of the Civil Rights Movement. To their union was born four girls, Antoinette, Inez, Cassandra and Yolonda. On August 14, 1968 our father passed away in surgery leaving Mom, age 21, a widow left to raise 4 girls, with no high school education.

Mom has overcome what seemed like insurmountable odds. In 1969 she walked into the University of Chicago Hospital employment office to apply for a Nurses Aide position. She was hired on the spot. As she grew in the health professions, a co-worker introduced Mom to her brother, Mr. Henry Baker, who asked for her hand in marriage and pledged to help her raise her four daughters. They married in 1972 and began a life together.

After working for several years, Mom enrolled in night school to complete her education in a GED Program. She later completed her Associates Degree in Nursing at Olive Harvey Junior College and became a Licensed Practical Nurse at the University of Chicago Hospital. We witnessed Mom working around hospital shifts while caring for a family and pursuing her education. At the age of 28, mom was diagnosed with an aggressive form of rheumatoid arthritis that would later leave her debilitated, retiring from nursing sooner than she desired. Yet, she was determined to grow both personally and professionally, not allowing her disability to deter her. It was not long before Mom returned to school to complete the Registered Nursing Program at Chicago State University making her the first of her siblings to complete a college degree. I remember to this day the sense of pride I felt watching the RN Pinning Ceremony as she walked across the graduation stage to receive her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Nursing.

My mother’s story is a story of hope, determination, faith and resilience. She is a fighter with a winning spirit. Mom is a compassionate woman with a passion for healing sick people. Despite her own sickness, Mom’s love for people led her to a 30-year nursing career. By the time she medically retired, Mom was the Head Nurse in Neurology, the floor where she started as a Nursing Aide.

March is Women’s History Month. I could not think of a better woman to honor than one of the matriarchs of our family, my mother, Margaret G. Baker. So inspiring is her story that My Sister’s Keeper Foundation for Women has named the MGB Second Chance Scholarship and given more than $80,000 to women pursuing college degrees and professional certification programs in her honor. As she nears the end of her life, I am witnessing her indomitable spirit one again. Mom beat cancer 2 years ago amid a series of treatments and surgeries. She recently suffered a stroke and new cancer diagnosis. Yet, her spirit is strong as she enjoys the company of family and friends who call and come to say thank you for example her life has been.

Because she is, I am. Her story is my story. Her history is my history. Her strength is my strength. Her determination is my determination. Her passion for education and the healing of hurting people inspires me to grow daily and love deeply.

I salute my mother and every woman during Women’s History Month.

Dr. Toni