March 6, 2024
Black Women Excellence Through Generations
By John Myers
By Reina Copeland
Since I could remember, I’ve been told to never dwell on the past since it always brings pain and harm to your future. It didn’t matter if I was talking about my past or the history of our world. I believed all the people who said that the past didn’t matter. Growing up, I carried this mentality with me, and I didn’t think anything of it until I realized people could be wrong. Reflecting on the past has allowed people to make changes to their futures. Dwelling on the past has ended wars and created bonds. When I look at my personal history, I think about the growth I’ve made for myself and my ancestors, and how the people who came before have changed me. Friends, family, and mentors have all shaped me. The people I have gained the most insight from are the black women before me, my older generations.
My grandmother, Van Jaloris Smith, was a freedom fighter. Well, not exactly,, but she fought for her rights during the Civil Rights Era. My grandmother was born on March 28, 1943, in Tallahassee, the torrid capital of Florida. She still strongly loves her sisters Sharon and Audrey Smith. My grandmother has always been a headstrong and driven woman, just like her mother before her. Beulah Smith was a God-loving woman who was devoted to her children, she taught them many skills and let them lead their lives independently.
My grandmother also got her beautiful looks from her mother. When she was younger she had kinky curls colored black (which now are aged gray and permed straight) with caramel skin that was complemented by the Florida sunlight. My grandmother is also very tall with long legs. To compliment her beauty, she has the most vivid brown eyes that tell the story of her life. Her eyes express all her emotions, and when her mid-sized lips curl into a smile you can see it in her eyes.
My grandmother was incredibly independent during her teenage years as well as in her adult life. She would tell me stories about her sitting in the front of the bus as a proclamation for liberty and justice for all. She would get arrested over and over again. She was a math major in college and joined the sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha. This may be the reason why I want to attend Spelman, one of the most illustrious schools.
My grandmother put her strong will to the test, she became a teacher after moving to Mount Vernon, New York. This became her home and she’s lived there for 50 years, illuminating the house with her presence. Ms. Piggy was her nickname for me. It became very important to me. Ever since I could remember, she used to sing a song to me. “Reina she was beina, she was a doo doo doo.” My grandmother is an educator and a nurturer to me and many others as she’s known around the neighborhood as a mother figure. She taught at IS 52 in the Bronx and broke barriers by teaching children and making money.
“I didn’t want to quit.” She once told me while we were basking in each other’s company. She began the story of how her teaching career ended. She was holding a boy for detention after school. She had placed her desk in front of the door because he had been attempting to get out. When my grandmother sat on the desk they began to argue and he flipped the desk completely. “I called your grandfather to take me to the hospital and I never went back.”
I knew my grandmother was strong both in her mind and her character. She showed that in her past and still does to this day. She has been one of the role models in my life through her ups and downs. The good and the bad.
The people who make us don’t always have to be family. For me and many other black girls, it has been the people who have left legacies or in the process of leaving legacies. For Simone Biles it was Gabby Douglas, for Beyonce it was Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin, and Tina Turner and for me, it is Joneé Billy.
Joneé Billy is a first-generation American raised by strong Caribbean parents. She grew up going from New York City to Trinidad and Tobago. When asked, Billy said she would never trade it for the world. It has helped her see a global view of the world that has helped develop her core values and interests. My story with Ms. Billy doesn’t start here–it starts with her professional life. Ms. Billy works as head of external affairs at PowerPlay New York City. Powerplay is a non-profit that empowers girls and youth through exercise and play. Powerplay is under Stars CGI, a conglomerate of nonprofit organizations across New York City that serves girls and youth no matter their color or age.
“Hard work beats talent, when talent doesn’t work hard” Ms. Billy and I met in January of 2022, I was doing a campaign with Stars CGI and Nike and had some photos taken. From there, Ms. Billy became a source of comfort. I was originally terrified of doing the campaign. I hate meeting new people and I get incredibly anxious. But when I met Ms.Billy that anxiety faded.
Ms.Billy is an ethereal-looking woman. Just like my grandmother, Ms.Billy is incredibly tall with beautiful chestnut skin. She has full lips with high cheekbones, and her eyes are just as inviting as she is. She has a beauty mark placed lovingly just below her right nostril. I can attest to how unapologetically herself she is and how it makes her the best role model, especially to young black girls. Ms. Billy never gives up, she works on herself both physically and socially, playing sports such as basketball and attempting to get out more, even with her self-reserve.
Ms. Billy has helped me grow so much. I’ve gone from being anxiety-stricken to less shy and more outgoing. Her work ethic she believes is her greatest characteristic and is something she passes on to the many black girls and other youth she works with, myself included. Ms.Billy sees how much the under-resourcing of the black community has affected the black girls that she works with. When black girls are put in the right environment they will thrive. Miss Billy is “Constantly inspired by the young people that I work with. I love creating avenues and pathways for young people to show up as their true selves. I think back to the things that my inner child needed growing up – a safe space, a supportive environment, the ability to be carefree and to be a kid–access to resources.”
Ms. Billy is also the reason I have a TedTalk of my own. My TedTalk is about being okay with not knowing who you are. It’s been exactly 129 days since I wrote about not knowing who I am. Reflecting on who I am today, I can proudly say that I still don’t know who I am. The philosophical soul-searching journey that many people attempt to conquer is not one I have finished yet. Having said that, I can proudly say that I am a black girl. I am short with curls that give me my signature style. I have beautiful caramel skin passed down from my ancestors. I am a middle child and an older sister, I am a scholar and a make-shift therapist.
I am someone who takes what other black women and girls have set for me and make it my own. I am not as outspoken as Ms. Billy or as persevering as my grandmother. I am shy and anxious, and I work hard for what I want. I am not the loud black woman, but I sure am angry when it comes to injustice. I am the imperfections of those who have guided me and those who have attempted to put me down. I am a legacy waiting to unfold. I am Reina and I’m more than the oppressed underdog. I am inspired and ready to spread my wings and fly out of my cocoon in order to keep going on my journey.
I have always been told to never dwell on the past but the past has made my future. I can never get rid of the past and you can never make me forget my past. You can never make me forget the hurt that my ancestors have gone through. The past may hurt you and your perceptions, but for me and many other black girls, it is a chance to grow and become new people. People like my grandmother and Ms. Joneé Billy have made it possible to do so.
