Where I Came From

Suffice it to say that a lot of who I am today is a reflection of the wisdom contained in the mind and heart of Vahness Duncan, the woman I called "Gramma Van" all my life who came to Chicago from the cotton fields of Cotton Plant, Arkansas during the great northern migration after WWII. She raised my sister and I while our mother was out trying to make a living as a single parent in the 1960s and 70s. Trust me when I tell you that I owe her a debt that no money could ever repay. While Mr. Obama was raised by his White Grandparents, I was raised by my Black Grandmother. We all have a story.

Randy Shiner