My Grandma Mary Made Me

My story of who I looked up to all my life was my GRANDmother Mary Whitley she was a wife and mother of two one boy and one girl .

My granny had a very hard time having her children but was a true entrepreneurial pioneer she had an in home daycare , a restaurant called The Meal a Minute , she was a fierce baker for everyone , and orchestrated / assigned greater than 10 of her 23 siblings to always fundraise for her multi annual church functions she created throughout the years ( I dream to fundraise like her ) .

My mom had me at a young age of 15 so my granny mostly always had me, I was named after one of the radio DJ's Kennetha at the oldest black owned radio station in Nashville, TN 1470 WVOL AM it's come full circle because I now host with that family now every Monday morning from 10 to 11 AM CT .

My GRANDmother just like me left home at 17 years old during the great migration , all of the African American's flocked to the new urban suburbia in Nashville , TN .

She found my grandfather and somehow while dating she shot through the house at him ! I remember thinking Granny if you shot him you'd be arrested and I would not have been born !!!!

She always was graceful , cooking , caring for others , the first lady of the church for over 40 years when she left we celebrated that's what she knew she wanted . She would always tell us I won't always be here what I didn't know was she really prepared us in so many ways so it didn't sting as bad cause we expected that thing called death was inevitable .

I could tell the difference in losing my grandfather and my grandmother I took his so much worse . I cannot write this story and not tell his pioneer that meshed with Mary's and I am the result of 2 superpowers combined .

My GRANDfather Dr. District Elder Raymond Whitley was a pastor in another county over 30 miles away from his home for 40 plus years . He was a pioneer in the US Postal Service he experienced discrimination and wrote to Washington they in turn created a position for him that dissolved when he retired it was only his !

He also had a non - profit called Abundant Blessings he wanted to house people in the city that he Pastored he lost his driving privileges and went down hill slowly from there with his memory and gait .

This leads you to me I am the eldest grandchild of 7 a wife mother of 5 /4 girls 1 boy . Our story is the reason my organization Vision Heirs INC. exist (www.visionheirsinc.com) we have been a hard working homeless family 4 different times 4 different way's .

This journey has been on purpose so we can see the gaps and barriers in housing , and just like my pioneering grandparents they guided and trained me and it's all in my blood .

I see this world so different because of them I love to empower , build and house people in the most innovative way .

Vision Heirs INC. exists to be the HUB for real poverty solutions for the very severely underserved working homeless population that are not in DV or drug addicted.

Through extensive research talking to the real people hearing their real stories we have noticed the gaps in rapid re housing .

There was a real housing crisis that happened for us in the state of TN We are positive this has happened across the Nation.

There is a dire need for brick and mortar locations to house individual's that need to get back on their feet at Vision Heirs INC we know that " Housing is the very nucleus of every family ! "

Our goal is to restore the entire family to their inherent royalty creating generational wealth through each family member utilizing our full spectrum cooperative transitional housing program & poverty solution HUB .

We have partnered with a national network of other organizations to build our collective communities offering public education and action towards fair housing and we dream of a transitional housing hub , transitioning families into shipping container homes with 100% financing including building of credit amongst other huge community building resources connection .

If I win this contest the funds would go towards creation of The Whole Damn PIE Report and documentary . In addition to attaining our grant writer for funds to get our transitional housing complex and land to start off housing 12 families in need .

I have it in me to carry on the legacy of my grandparents and see good in this world all while teaching my own babies to find their purpose & be good in this world !!!!