For May 2023, ”Dare to Believe,” I decided to do something a bit different in honor of Mother’s Day.
I’m featuring Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, a woman who braved adversity all through her life. After the sudden death of her husband, she became a single mom and a role model for future generations.
For a bit of a twist, I’m featuring male celebrities, raised by single moms, who credit their mothers for teaching them how to be strong, caring individuals. Thanks, Moms for all you do!
Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (September 24, 1825- February 22, 1911) was an American abolitionist, writer, poet, suffragist, temperance activist, teacher, and public speaker.
Frances was born in Maryland to free Black parents in 1825. She became an orphan at the age of three when both her parents died. She was raised by her maternal aunt and uncle, Henrietta, and the Reverend William J. Watkins, Sr. who gave her their surname. She attended the Watkins Academy for Negro Youths.
Her uncle founded the academy to educate black children in the Maryland area. Reverend Watkins was an abolitionist and civil rights activist who greatly influenced his niece.
Frances left school at thirteen to work as a seamstress for a wealthy white family that owned a bookstore. In her spare time, she was allowed to read books from the bookstore and work on her writing.
Frances became active in the abolitionist movement after Maryland passed a law allowing free African Americans who entered the state to be imprisoned and sold into slavery.
In 1850, she moved to Columbus, Ohio to teach domestic science at Union Seminary, an AME -affiliated school for Black children. She was their first female instructor. In 1853 the school closed because the AME church diverted financing from the program to help fund the construction of Wilberforce University, the first Black-owned and operated college. Watkins accepted a position at a school in York, Pennsylvania.
In 1860, she married a widower with three children. They had a daughter together before he died. Frances moved with her child, Mary, to the East Coast and supported her family by giving lectures on abolitionism and women’s suffrage throughout the United States and Canada. Her speech about the intersection of racism and sexism inspired generations of activists to fight for the rights of African Americans and women.
Harper became a prolific writer of abolitionist poetry, short stories, and novels. She was published so often in anti-slavery newspapers that she became known as the “mother” of African American journalism.
Kevin Hart and his brother grew up in a single parent home. Hart’s father was in and out of the home during his childhood, but his mom, Nancy provided the stability her children needed to succeed. According to Hart, his mother instilled in her sons the value of showing up and doing the right thing no matter what anyone else is doing. She raised her sons to value knowledge and common sense.
Hart established the Help From the Hart Charity to support underserved communities, providing financial scholarships for youth to attend college, and assisting with medical needs.
Adrian Grenier – Grenier was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico. His parents were never married, and Grenier was raised in New York City by his mom, Karesse Grenier. He credits his mom with keeping him grounded and helping him focus on what’s important.
In addition to his acting career, Grenier is passionate about the environment and sustainability. In recent years, he has become more focused on leading by example and creating awareness about our individual responsibilities for protecting the environment.
To paraphrase Grenier’s comments during a recent interview, “It’s better to do my part than to lecture other people about what they should be doing. If we all take responsibility for our actions we can accomplish our goals without alienating everyone else.”
Grenier has also partnered with Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture to create the SHFT Mobile Kitchen Classroom – a teaching kitchen on wheels for high-school students in New York City.
Shaquille O’Neal was raised by his mom, Lucille O’Neal, and his stepfather, Phillip Arthur Harrison. O’Neal’s biological father struggled with drug addiction. He went to prison for drug possession when O’Neal was an infant and after his release, he relinquished his parental rights. O’Neal credits his stepfather, a career Army sergeant, with helping him develop the discipline and work ethic needed to succeed. He remains close to his mother who always encouraged him to set goals and work toward them. According to O’Neal, his mom regularly calls him to make sure he’s still on track to set and accomplish new goals.
The Shaquille O’Neal Foundation Mission statement: “To create pathways for underserved youth to help them achieve their full potential. The Foundation works to instill hope and bring about change in communities, collectively shaping a brighter future for our children.”
Stephen Colbert – Colbert was born in Washington, D.C.; he is the youngest of eleven children. When he was ten years old, his father and two brothers were killed in an airplane crash. His mother relocated the family to the George Chisolm House in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, and ran the carriage house as a bed and breakfast. Colbert credits his mom with helping him become a likable person in addition to his career successes.
Colbert supports Amnesty International, Autism Speaks, the ALS Association, Comic Relief, Exploring the Arts, and many other worthy causes/charities. After the BP oil spill, he convinced Microsoft to donate $2500 each time he said the word, “Bing,” during one of his shows. Colbert managed to say, “Bing,” on the air forty times. He also uses his enormous popularity (seven million+ followers) on social media to promote worthy causes and charities he supports.
Photo credits:
Image of Kevin Hart:
By Eva Rinaldi - https://www.flickr.com/photos/evarinaldiphotography/12966419535/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77215458
Image of Adrian Grenier:
By Geoff Livingston - https://www.flickr.com/photos/geoliv/14171910478/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33226600
Image of Shaquille O’Neal:
By Unknown author - El Gráfico, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=86400913
Image of Stephen Colbert:
By Peabody Awards - _HAZ5751Uploaded by stemoc, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29117797
Sources for this article:
https://www.moms.com/20-celebrities-that-were-raised-and-raised-well-by-a-solo-parent/#apolo-anton-ohno-s-solo-dad-believed-in-him-from-the-very-beginning