DYMPNA UGWU-OJU

 

1980-2000

Hello Beautiful People

Today's post is bittersweet as this is, unfortunately, the last post on this blog 😢My next semester in college is quickly approaching, and I am really excited to take the next step, but I have also really enjoyed writing these blog posts. If you remember from the first ever post, I was completely confused on the history subject. I was not excited for this class considering its the subject I struggled with the most throughout school. The more I progressed throughout the course and the more frequent these blog posts I made, the less confused I became.  

To end the course on a strong note, we're going to be discussing Dympna Ugwu-Oju, and her family. Dympna is a woman from the Igbo community in Nigeria, who eventually moved to America. She starts a family with her husband, but eventually they run into some issues. The women of this era were always taught to cook, clean, and take care of their homes, just as Dympna was. So, when her daughter Delia is taught differently, there is a major cultural gap. In her autobiography she states ""I can’t help but compare Delia’s life to mine at that age, as well as comparing her mother (me) to my mother (Mama), whose constant admonition, “Remember, you’re only a woman,” was the refrain of my early life." As a mother, she isn't sure whether she should continue to raise Delia the way she used to or whether she should conform to social norms.

This information is important to our module because this was an era of change. In this module, we lightly examined the evolution of civil rights as well as identity movements, for example, the movement for women's rights. Having grown up differently than her daughter, Damya was confused about the direction she wanted to go in a world that was evolving. It was at this time that women were able to vote, they were no longer responsible for cleaning and taking care of children, they excelled in school and were able to get jobs normally reserved for men.

My own experiences and Dympna Ugwu-Ojus' article about parents passing down their cultures to their children share similarities. Growing up, my mom wanted nothing but the best for me, she wanted to break the generational curse and inspire me and my siblings to achieve great things. I resonate with Dympna and her family story, and i understand why she would be confused. It is my belief that she eventually made the best decision for her daughter just as mine did for me.