Shika Doss reads her work about family

Grants | NHPRC | Topics | Arts & Culture | Special Collections | Minnesota Books and Authors | Black life in Minnesota | Types | Reading |
May 7, 1993
Shika Doss - Reader
Listen: Shika Doss, author reads
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Minneapolis Black author Shika Doss reads her work about her mother, family, and estranged father.

Transcript:

(00:00:00) I'm she could die. I was born April 13 1975 to married off and Billy Ross who are my wonderful parents. I was born at Britt Memorial and Linden Alabama. I had one sister at the time whose name is Yolanda daus and now there are two more Candice daus and derik Dobbs. I had a twin brother, but he died at Birth. We moved to Minneapolis in 1980. We moved to the projects when we moved to Minneapolis a lot of things changed in my life. January 12 1981 four months after we came to Minneapolis my father left my mother with three kids and married a white woman and adopted the ladies for kids after my dad left. He stopped seeing his own kids. I guess he didn't want to socialize with us this one on for six years. I hated my father, but my mom kept telling us it was wrong to hate him because he was our father and without him we wouldn't even be here, but that didn't do any good to me because I had to grow up without a father. I hated him for that. I also hate him because he claimed some white as kids and not his own May 11th 1989. I found out my dad had cancer. So I wanted to be closer to him because he was in and out of the hospital and he needed us he didn't know how to tell us because all those years he wasn't with us, but I knew someone had to make the move. So I did I went down to the hospital and told him how much he had hurt me and all that. It really hurt my pride to go down there but I did because my mom taught me that right is right what really made me go down to the hospital was my mom telling me to do unto others as you shall want them to do unto you and I will never forget that because it still comes in handy sometimes. But anyway, I was by my dad's side for the two years. He was in pain and during all that. He finally told me he loved me and that meant a lot to me but April 13th. 1890 my dad died in my arms saying that he loved me. That really hurt me because that was my birthday and my dad was saying goodbye for
(00:02:09) good.
(00:02:11) If it wasn't for my mom, I wouldn't have survived. I would have gone crazy because for some reason I blamed myself for what he done to me and my family. I didn't go to school no more. I skipped. I started drinking and smoking weed. I completely lost it. My mom brought me to reality though. She got me to see that. It wasn't my fault. He loved me, but he was too scared to tell me until it was too late. My mom said he finally told me and to be happy with that and do all the things he would want me to do like graduate and that is something I am going to do. I love my mom and I admire my mom because of what she taught her children at our ages and all by herself. She's a hell of a woman.

Transcripts

text | pdf |

SHIKA DOSS: I'm Shika Doss. I was born April 13, 1975 to Mary Doss and Billy Ross, who are my wonderful parents. I was born at Bridge Memorial in London, Alabama. I had one sister at the time, whose name is Yolanda Doss. And now there are two more, Candace Doss and Derick Doss. I had a twin brother, but he died at birth.

We moved to Minneapolis in 1980. We moved to the projects. When we moved to Minneapolis, a lot of things changed in my life. January 12, 1981, four months after we came to Minneapolis, my father left my mother with three kids and married a white woman and adopted the lady's four kids. After my dad left, he stopped seeing his own kids. I guess he didn't want to socialize with us.

This went on for six years. I hated my father, but my mom kept telling us it was wrong to hate him because he was our father, and without him, we wouldn't even be here. But that didn't do any good to me because I had to grow up without a father. I hated him for that. I also hated him because he claimed some white ass kids and not his own.

May 11, 1989, I found out my dad had cancer. So I wanted to be closer to him because he was in and out of the hospital and he needed us. He didn't know how to tell us because all those years he wasn't with us. But I knew someone had to make the move, so I did. I went down to the hospital and told him how much he had hurt me and all that. It really hurt my pride to go down there, but I did because my mom taught me that right is right.

What really made me go down to the hospital was my mom telling me to do unto others as you shall want them to do unto you. And I will never forget that because it still comes in handy sometimes. But anyway, I was by my dad's side for the two years he was in pain. And during all that, he finally told me he loved me. And that meant a lot to me.

But April 13, 1990, my dad died in my arms, saying that he loved me. That really hurt me because that was my birthday and my dad was saying goodbye for good. If it wasn't for my mom, I wouldn't have survived. I would have gone crazy because for some reason, I blamed myself for what he'd done to me and my family. I didn't go to school no more. I skipped. I started drinking and smoking weed. I completely lost it.

My mom brought me to reality, though. She got me to see that it wasn't my fault. He loved me, but he was too scared to tell me until it was too late. My mom said he finally told me and to be happy with that and do all the things he would want me to do, like graduate. And that is something I am going to do. I love my mom, and I admire my mom because of what she taught her children at our ages and all by herself. She's a hell of a woman.

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