Flonyc Opens up About her Story, Shares new Details About her Roots, Childhood, and Early Adulthood

March 25, 2014

In the latest #FLONYC, First Lady Chirlane McCray gives new details on her life in video, photos, and excerpts

NEW YORK – She’s known as the Mayor’s partner, Chiara and Dante’s mother, a writer and activist, but First Lady adds even more dimension to her many roles as she delves deeper into her past in the latest #FLONYC. From her great-grandmother’s journey to her own experiences as a young professional in New York City, the First Lady shares the stories that have shaped her and drive her to do the work she does today.

Excerpts from the First Lady’s remarks featured on #FLONYC:

The farthest back I can trace is my great grandmother, Louisa Parris Edwards. And let me tell you, that woman had a lot of gumption. The short story is that she was a widow, working on a mail ship that traveled between the islands in the Caribbean. A wealthy family took a liking to her and invited her to work for their family. In Claremont, New Hampshire…Then Louisa, after raising her family in Claremont, packed her bags and moved to Harlem. And there, she joined the Marcus Garvey Back to Africa movement. She invested in the Black Star Line and the Parent Body of the Universal Negro Improvement Association Construction Loans. AND she invested in the Negro Factories Corporation. And I know that when she died, she had one of the biggest funerals ever held in Harlem. That’s the activist blood I have flowing through my veins!

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I was always the only black student in my class, and there was a stretch when I was the only black student in the entire school. It was tough – emotionally and psychologically. I was teased, I was chased, and yes, I even was spit at. But I was the first girl in my family to go to college.

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And then I moved to New York City -- in 1977, with two possible job contacts, a place to stay and about 35 dollars in my pocket.

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Those were the years I learned how to get by with second-rate medical care because I couldn’t afford a good doctor. And I learned what happens when you land in a hospital with a newly diagnosed, severe chronic disease and you have no health insurance.

The First Lady has shared her story with the hope of hearing from others and finding the common threads that unite us all. She delivered these remarks at the NY Coalition of 100 Black Women’s Networking Initiative event on Thursday, March 20, at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

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