Clement 1

Alaina Clement
ENC 1102
Professor Franklin
03 December 2014
Paper #3
Shes Got Southern Roots

When I called my mother to ask her about my heritage this weekend I didnt expect
anything much. I asked her about my grandmothers time in the south and what sparked the
move to Michigan. See, I am not from the south. I have never lived in the south, but the south
has still affected me. Over a year ago I moved from Detroit to Tallahassee for college and when
I moved it was difficult because I didnt have anybody; I had to branch out and create my own
life. Here as an out-of-state student in Tallahassee, FL I never considered it the south. In fact
Tallahassee will never be the south to me because I dont see much of a cultural difference than
where I am originally from. However, my family a couple generations back was from Arkansas
on my mothers side. The reason for the move to Michigan was due to an unspeakable event in
the family that caused my great grandmother to flee the south and settle in the North. My
great-grand mother was a rolling stone and she comes from very strong stock. Although I have
never been exposed to the south, the south has still affected me through history. I dont care if
this is a clich, African-American experience; this is how the south affected me and not you.
When I think of the south, I think of the Antebellum south where King Cotton was
thriving on the backs of black slaves. Yes, I still think of the lynchings and bombings of black
people to this day; I will never forget. When I think about a time in antiquity that I wish could

Clement 2
Alaina Clement
ENC 1102
Professor Franklin
03 December 2014
Paper #3
Shes Got Southern Roots
be replayed I always stutter on history because of the mistreatment of my people. To me there
is no glory to the old south and my mind is waxed gross with stereotypes of the new south.
I will tell you a story about the very real divide that still exists in my family which
stemmed from the south. My great grandmother was of ebony skin and she married, what she
called a pretty man, he apparently had high cheek bones and straight black hair. My great
grandfather, whom I have never met, was half French, he was the pretty boy who graced my
great grandmother with three beautiful children. Skipping a few scenes in this tragic story, after
the unspeakable event that occurred between my great-grandparents lets just say that my
alcoholic great grandfather wasnt around anymore. So my great grandmother married another
man who was her same complexion and he gave her four ebony children. My grandmother fled
town and came to Michigan during the time of The Great Migration where many southern
blacks moved north for work. The divide in my family is between the light skin sisters and the
dark skin sister. The complexion ridge, stems from jealousy, where aunts have fought their
sisters because of notions of lighter skin. The story goes that my grandmother would always get
paid more money because she was fairer skin than her sister. My great Aunt would despise my
grandmother and she instilled that communal racism into her children who carry her same
disdain. Even to this day, every family reunion usually turns into a nasty fight. All of this color

Clement 3
Alaina Clement
ENC 1102
Professor Franklin
03 December 2014
Paper #3
Shes Got Southern Roots
complexity between family members of the same blood is rooted in old southern tradition that
the fairer your skin then the more desirable one is and that is exactly what happened. My
mother always kept me away from that side of my family because she didnt want me exposed
to hatred. It wasnt until later on in life when I asked her why I never knew any of my cousins on
her side when she told me that they were messed up in the head. I dont know how my mother
did it but she broke away from the family, she only kept in touch but never intimately. My
mother taught us good Christian values and never a day in my life was I ever subjected to
familial racism. Because of the southern reef in my family the way that I view the south is
outdated, outlandish, and grossly stereotypical.
The south has affected me in indirect ways because I am not close to anyone on my
mothers side. My mother excluded us from her family because she wanted to start a new
legacy untainted by murder, jealousy, or revenge. I dont know much else about my family
beyond my great grandmother and that mostly everyone is an alcoholic but I do know that my
great grandmother was a sharecropper in Arkansas and when she moved to Michigan she
became a house servant to support her seven children.
The south has played an indirect role in my life, the old southern values is the reason
that I do not know a particular side of my family to this day but it is the reason that my family

Clement 4
Alaina Clement
ENC 1102
Professor Franklin
03 December 2014
Paper #3
Shes Got Southern Roots
throws down in a kitchen and it is why my mother cannot beat around the bush to save her
life. So in many ways I am thankful for my southern roots but it saddens me that I do not know
the answers. I mean I get so curious about how my great grandparents looked. Everyone older
than sixty always talks about how handsome my great grandfather and uncles were. I wish I
could have met them but they all died in the older times and they took all their experiences
with them. I only know what happened by word of mouth back in Arkansas. I wish I could fully
hear their life experience but it seems like when youre an African-American you dont really
know much about where you come from.
I am convinced that the south has changed since the times of my great grandmother but
I can only find out for myself one day. Moving to Tallahassee is technically the closest I
have been to the south but the real south to me is where my ancestors come from. I
hope my ancestors are in heaven so I can meet with them one day but murderers and
alcoholics generally have slimmer chances. I pray God shows me where I come from, or
perhaps it wont even matter by then but the south has affected me in mysterious ways
that I will never know.
Even though I havent met most of my ancestors I still want to make them proud
for some reason. I dont live in the same world they did and I want to take the most

Clement 5
Alaina Clement
ENC 1102
Professor Franklin
03 December 2014
Paper #3
Shes Got Southern Roots
advantage of that. I am grateful that my mother rose from the ashes of her youth and
gave me a better life but Im also saddened about not being close with my family. I am
glad that the ugly familial lineage that I was born from could turn into something so
beautiful such as the opportunity to go to college. Perhaps if everything was perfect and
pretty like some southerners believe the Antebellum south was then maybe I would be
a different person. Perhaps I would be nicer, not be such a pessimist, or maybe not so
critical. Yea, so I got what was handed to me and I just have to deal my cards right. It
would be a shame because I definitely got the better hand than that of my ancestors.
This is how the south affected me, thats my southern background and how I believe it
affected me today.