The Blessing of Being a Millennial
we're one of a kind.
I recently saw a post online suggesting that millennials are stressed due to the many life events we’ve lived through. We’ve seen a lot. My earliest memory goes back to the Columbine High School shooting in 1999. On the brink of a new century, we were slapped with the reality that schools weren’t as safe as we believed them to be, and sadly that devastation would become the norm in the years to come. September 11, 2001 changed the way we travel and left a permanent bruise of paranoia on me every time I board a plane. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina taught us that no one is coming to save us, when we need it the most, and you can be referred to as a migrant in your own country. The rise of social media totally transformed the way we communicate and our world was forever changed. Recessions, the OJ Simpson trial, the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal, we’ve seen it all. I’m convinced that the complexity and changes of the world we came up in, laid the foundation for us to be one of the most unique generations to have ever lived.
Pivot power.
My days of owning a walkman were short lived, but I remember having one, along with a few tapes. On the other hand I vividly remember my blue Walkman CD player. I was a sophomore in highschool and every morning I’d grab my bookbag, Walkman, and a few cds before walking to the bus stop. I’d carry the Walkman in my hands or if I carried a purse that day, I’d conveniently place it inside my purse. In retrospect, that Walkman was huge, because a few years later iPods exploded on the scene and my Walkman quickly became a thing of the past. I had a sleek green iPod and can still hear the sound of me shuffling through songs. On flights I’d put my phone on airplane mode, tuck it away in my purse and listen to music on my iPod. Oh, how things change. Eventually the technology of iPhones threw all of it out the water. There was no need for iPods, calendars or books. It could all be found in your phone. Talk about the power of pivoting. As a result, millennials are flexible. We’re constantly evolving into better versions of ourselves. We understand we can work smarter and not harder.
The best of both worlds.
Millennials may be the last generation who sat at the table of those who knew people who were once enslaved. I had many meals with my paternal grandparents who came to Chicago from Mississippi during the Great Migration. My grandfather, Robert Thompson, was born in 1922. His wife Essie, my grandmother, was born in 1925. They were animated storytellers, constantly sharing memories of life in Mississippi. They’d be knee deep in a story, while chewing Indian Snuff Tobacco, dropping names of relatives I didn’t know (and would never meet). In retrospect, they represent a Blackness that I often miss. Their shared life experiences of Jim Crow birthed a deep sense of gratitude in me. On November 4, 2008, I cried tears of glee mixed with sorrow, while standing in Grant Park with thousands of people celebrating the presidential election of Barack Obama. I couldn’t stop thinking of my grandfather. He passed away from prostate cancer in 1997, never living to see the first Black president. His children and grandchildren were living in a world he only dreamed about. I felt that with every fiber in my being. I still feel it.
My maternal grandmother, Viola, is the reason I tidy up hotel rooms before checking out. I can’t remember the exact details of where we were or what prompted her to say this, but I can hear her voice saying “Never leave a mess for someone. Especially a worker”. Now that I think about it, we may have been at a restaurant. Wherever we were, I heard her loud and clear. Millennials come from a world of “Old Black”, but live in “New Black”. We possess morals of the past, while creating the freedom for our future. We literally are the best of both worlds.
I’m currently in a season of creating my own income (special shout out to the paid subscribers). I’ve been thinking about the mental hurdles it took for me, a millennial Black woman, to arrive here. From enslavement to sharecropping, to working for Uncle Sam to the audacity of allowing the ideas in your mind to produce the bread and butter on your plate. Alexa, play “Made It” by Teyana Taylor.
It’s a blessing to be a millennial. We see the world through many lenses, but courageously curate a world that’s tailor made for us. Absolutely, incredible.
Your Favorite Cousin,
Nikki
Inspiring commentary!