Category: My Stories
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Open the door and others will follow
Published in Saint Mary’s University Alumni Magazine True Santamarian – Maroon + White Spring 2023 (smu.ca) Ann-Marie Layne BA’94 (Photo: Submitted) I graduated from Saint Mary’s University in 1994 with a Bachelor of Arts in International Development Studies. During my four years of study in Halifax, I had unique experiences and forged life-long friendships. I…
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Why every girl should be allowed to wear clogs
I come from an extended family of Caribbean women who would be called bossy in polite company. They are opinionated and direct and as apt to share their unsolicited opinions as they are to remain silent and leave you wondering what they are thinking. For all their sass, the women in my family are very…
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A mother’s love transcends the grave
My grandfather Joseph was born in Parish Land, Barbados and was the last of four children. His mother died when he was and infant, so he had no real recollection of her. His father ran his household with a firm hand. Each of the children had a chore and my grandfather was responsible for taking…
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An Ode to my grandfather
My grandfather Joseph was born in 1902. His stature was eclipsed by his personality. He left school at the age of fourteen to become a mason and traveled across the Caribbean, Latin America and the United Kingdom in search of work. For a few years, my sister and I called him Daddy Layne. That moniker…