Rest in Power Nanna
My beloved Nanna was born in Guyana as Sybil Albertha Blair in 1934 and died in the Netherlands in 2024. She was a free spirit with a curious mind, a lover of travel, good food and wine. Especially hot sauce. During her 90 years, she was blessed to live a colorful life in many countries around the world including Jamaica, France, England, Nigeria, The Gambia, The Netherlands, and of course, her country of origin.
As a mother, my Nanna worked hard as the breadwinner throughout the lives of her four children. She faced many challenges but managed to find a way through. As a retiree, she transitioned into the role of loving, generous grandmother. As the oldest of her eight grandchildren, I was blessed to spend a lot of time with her. She was always open minded, interested in my thinking and the events unfolding in my life. She genuinely seemed to relish in my joy, adventures, academic success and political analysis. As a young child, I would spend weeks at a time with her in Bristol. In many ways, she was a second mother to me. A friend, companion and confidant.
Nanna had a brilliant mind with a deep love of books and learning. In many respects, her life was shaped by and dedicated to education. As a working class teenager she won the Guyana scholarship which enabled her to study at University of the West Indies in Jamaica. During her years in the UK, she was part of the small team who developed and introduced multicultural, anti racist education into 1970’s England. This career path led her to also become the first Black school inspector (HMI) in the UK. She believed in the power of education to transform society. I am incredibly proud of her achievements and the mark that she left upon the world.
On her way to school as a child in Guyana, my Nanna would carry a small, brown paper bag filled with salt. As she walked along the lush vegetation of the Essequebo she would pick scotch bonnet chili peppers, dip them in salt and eat them as a morning snack. She was a lover of dancing and someone who would throw her head back in laughter, on the regular.
In order to provide for her children, she put her artistic interests on the back burner. I know that I am part of a generation that has more choice around work, time and creative expression than many in Nanna’s generation did. I am grateful for all the elders who paved the way so that we can be here at this moment.
Thank you Nanna for creating the material conditions for my elders, my cousins and I to live with greater access to safety, dignity and choice. For this, I'm deeply grateful. I intend to use these blessings to spread love and create beauty in the world, supporting the web of life for many generations to come.
Sybil was truly one of a kind. I intend to continue honoring her, lighting candles by her picture, sharing stories and allowing her memory to live through me. I am grateful for the life she led and the peaceful death she experienced. I love you Nanna. May you rest well with the ancestors.