My grandmother was born in 1938 in Kosciusko, Mississippi, a rural town with a population never larger than 8,000. She grew up on a 93 acre farm, and along with all of the dogs, cats, horses, and chickens roaming the land, there were plenty of fruit trees–if she wanted, she could go pick a peach instead of having to go to a store to find one. There was a lot about living on the farm that she loved–all the space, the weather, and the nature. But she ended up sacrificing her rural life to move up north to Milwaukee, Wisconsin with her new husband, my grandfather, in 1955. After moving there, my grandmother decided that she didn’t like Milwaukee at all–the winters were frigid, the snow was difficult to deal with, and to her, the urban environment couldn't live up to rural Kosciusko. In Milwaukee, she spent her time working in photo processing and raising her 4 kids. In 1978, she and my grandfather decided to buy a mobile home about 125 miles north of Milwaukee. They would leave the city to go up to the house whenever they could, spending time gardening and fishing. The house was surrounded by grass, trees, and flowers, without another home in sight. One of my grandmother's favorite parts of the property was the fruit trees–plums, apples, and peaches. A peach is a representation of the way my grandmother found her place up in Wisconsin, despite her disappointment with moving to the city. I have never been to Mississippi, but as a child, picking from the peach tree up north allowed me to connect with my grandmother's heritage in a way that was beyond geography.

– Grace

Relationship:  Grandchild of im/migrant Grandchild of im/migrant