We discovered our love of music around ages of 5 and 6 years old. The Jackson Five was the first singing group that impacted us when we were kids. We tried to copy their style in so we learned their songs and dance moves when we played with our friends in the old neighborhood. When we turned 7 and 8, our parents moved from Langley Park, Prince Georges County, MD. To Silver Springs, Montgomery County, MD. The move was hard for us because we had to leave our friends, that we were very close to, back. It was so bad that we would usually walk 30 to 40 minutes from our new home to go back to the old neighborhood just to stay connected to the environment and the people because we missed them badly. They gave us so much love that it wasn’t easy to let go of. Our mother would have to come and pick us up at least 2 to 3 times a week, when she’d get off from work. Our father was more focused on finishing his college studies so that he could gather all his things and go back to Liberia, West Africa, where he originally came from; and leave us with our mother. He didn’t pay much attention to us and what we were doing as kids because he knew what his plans were from the get go.
By the time we started our new school, we met new friends and started to pull away from having that itch to go back to the old neighborhood to be with our old friends. We never lost our love for music, dancing and singing though. Shortly after our father graduated from Catholic University, in Washington, DC; he moved back to Liberia, West Africa. He separated from our mother and left us with her. It wasn’t easy for her because she was in school and she had to work as a single parent to provide food, shelter and clothing for us. She had no choice but to trust that we would be able to take care of each other and stay out of trouble while she focused on finishing her education and worked to provide for us.
When we played with our new friends in the new neighborhood, we would sometimes perform for them by singing The Jackson Five songs and dancing for them to entertain them. They liked it so much that they joined in and performed with us. We all entertained each other to pass the times. An older lady in the neighborhood, who sat at her window, observed us entertaining each other daily. She really enjoyed it so she decided to put us all together and start a neighborhood kids choir. She played her piano and taught us gospel hymns and until we all learned them. She gathered us all and took us to church with her every Sunday. One particular Sunday, she told us all that we were going to sing for the parishioners. We were all excited and ready to sing to show everyone what we were all made of. When we sang for the church that day, they all loved it so much that they invited us to sing for the church every other weekend. After a couple of months of singing for and entertaining the church parishioners, our mother informed us that our father was coming from Africa to take us back to with him. Not long after, he came and brought back to Africa with him.
Recent Comments