by Bee Quammie

“It’s raining
My body’s calling
I’m in neeeeeed
Of my darling…”
- Lady Saw

I still remember my father bringing home that Lady Saw vinyl, putting it on his turntable in our basement, and feeling the bass pulse through our little house. I still remember Saw’s gritty voice singing about her sexual appetite and how she wanted to be satisfied. I still remember my mom fussing at my dad for playing that “slackness” around me. “What kind of example are you setting?” she asked.

"In our field it’s typically called Mommy and me, but we like to be a bit more inclusive,” my boss told me as we sat in his lush office. The business of babies pays well, I thought to myself admiring his shiny modern digs. At least for him anyway, and he was right of course. Mothers are not the only ones that can act as a partner for tiny tots; Dads, Aunts, and Grandparents can also be in attendance. In my experience as an Instructor, the people I listed are hardly ever in attendance. These classes should be retitled: Nanny and Me.

“Are you an alien from outer space, mommy?” That was an honest question I asked my mother the first time I read the “Resident Alien” header on her green card as a child. She took that opportunity to explain to me what a green card was and why she had one. My mother is from the beautiful island of Roatán, Honduras and came to live in the U.S. when she was thirteen. She was old enough to come to the States, full of memories of life back “home,” but young enough to assimilate into life as a Black American.