Dr. Jeanette Grattan Parker

Success On The Way: Gumption

My mother said, “gumption.” I didn’t know what she meant; but she was distinctive enough to convey the life changing motivation. The tone of her voice and the context spoke volumes. I learned she wanted me to have “courage.” She wanted me to “persevere,” She conveyed a “never give up” attitude,  wanting me to believe that some kind of way I could work my way up out of the housing projects in Birmingham, Alabama and ‘make something of myself’. That’s right, she would say that too, “Jean, you better go to school and make something out of yourself!”