Candidate for
Council Member At Large; City of Oakland

A Singular Mother How my mom worked three jobs to raise six children on her own. Clinton Killian,Special to Newsweek NEWSWEEK WEB EXCLUSIVE Updated: 11:17 AM ET Oct 16, 2007

My mother divorced my father in 1961. She had spent the 1950s being a housewife and taking care of her six children, but the marriage had always been rocky. We lived in Hickory, N.C., and it was a huge uphill climb for a young, unemployed black woman to get an attorney to take her case. At the start of the legal process, my mom sat all of us down and explained that we would live with her, but my father could see us any time he wanted. He wouldn't take her up on that offer for 10 years.

Even though my grandparents lived nearby, Mama was determined to raise us herself. She took a job cleaning houses for rich white families in town but soon realized that didn't pay enough to feed six kids. She moved on to cleaning dormitory rooms at the local college and worked as a maid at a nearby hotel. (Think about that the next time you're trashing that hotel room--someone's mother may be cleaning up after you.)

After a few months, Mama applied for a job at a furniture factory. It was dusty, grueling work in a plant that had few safety regulations. She breathed in sawdust all day long as she sewed upholstery and did finishing work. It didn't take her long to figure out she could make more money doing what her male coworkers did. At first her boss refused to let her switch, but Mama persisted and soon she was lifting furniture frames off the conveyer belt, sanding them and hoisting them back up again. For a woman who was 5 foot 1 and weighed about 125 pounds, it was quite a feat.

She was still having trouble making ends meet, so Mama got a second job making socks in a hosiery mill. She went to her first job at 7:30 a.m. and worked until 3 p.m., then started her next job at 3:30 p.m. and worked until 11:30 p.m., five days a week. On the weekends she did prep work in a restaurant, so for most of my childhood, my mom was working 96 hours a week. We rarely saw her, but she did the best she could, checking in with each of us every morning and spending her free time with us on the weekends.

In 1969, things improved dramatically for our family. General Electric opened a plant in our town, and my Mom applied for one of the positions. A year or so later, she was hired and became a union member. Her wages for one eight-hour shift were higher than for all three of her other jobs combined. For the first time in our lives, we had medical and dental insurance.

Once again, Mama thought she could do better. She became one of the first female welders in the plant so she would be paid like a man. I remember bringing her lunch and noticing how the welding outfit swallowed her tiny frame, even with the heavy sleeves rolled up to her biceps. Mama always owned her own home and never once took any type of public assistance. She taught us to take care of our needs while she was gone, and gave us all chores to perform. I chopped wood and learned how to cook, sew and iron clothes.

I was able to concentrate on my studies more than my four older siblings because in addition to going to class and working--my oldest brother got a full-time job when he was 12 years old and worked all through school--they had to mind me and my younger sister. I worked part-time during the week, so I was able to be captain of the football, wrestling, debating and chess teams, president of the student council, a straight-A student, a Merit Scholar and win scholarships to Harvard, Yale and Stanford. Every one of my brothers and sisters graduated from high school, and two of my sisters went on to college.

My mom is 70 years old now. She is like an old lioness benignly prowling the plains. Her once strong body is worn down by arthritis and four bouts with cancer, yet she still has the cheerful attitude that is a mixture of relief and happiness that she survived her life's struggles. She spends her time with her church, children, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren. I talk to her every morning, and no matter how much pain she is in, she always laughs at the stories I tell her about work and raising my two boys. Her most important job now is making sure my stepfather eats his meals and takes his medicine; mine is ensuring that she is happy for the rest of her life.

On Mother's Day, I will tell my Mama how much I love her and thank her for all the sacrifices she made. You be sure and do the same for your mother. Killian is an attorney in Oakland, Calif. URL: http://www.newsweek.com/id/47838 © 2006

Clinton Killian is an Oakland based attorney specializing in business and commercial litigation, real estate land use, and probate. He served on the AC Transit Board, and as a Planning Commissioner for the City of Oakland. Clinton founded a free legal clinic in Oakland and performs pro bono work for numerous non-profits, churches and individuals. He is a graduate of Stanford University and UC Berkeley Boalt Hall School of Law.

Clinton Killian and his family are 25 year residents of Oakland, and have lived in a variety of the City's great neighborhoods. Clinton is married to Katrina and has two college age sons, Tracy and Shane.