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hello hello how are you doing I'm fine
thank you I'm Marana I take hugs thank
you I take hugs too this is where I have
my program this is the safe haven the
grandma house it's a beautiful
space your name is ment Hill but yes
everybody calls you Mama Hill that's
right or mama how many kids do you have
uh probably 3,000 now I mean I have what
I call revolving children they come when
they need me yes this is the kitchen
this is their
refrigerator sometimes the only meal
they have is the meal that they get
here all right Mariana you want to come
in this bedroom okay d That's the only
room I can call my own is it yes the
rest of the house belongs to the
children we're going to take a moment of
silence you know how we do it think
about what we're here for the problems
that you were dealing with they're
outside not here it's all about peace
for 1 hour
I got put out my mom's house when I was
12 and I started coming here when I was
15 she seemed like another mother figure
in my life what does she represent to
all of you a
mama mom Grandma Mom they're looking for
family they're looking for somewhere to
have love and to be accepted I used to
say when I was teaching that you cannot
ask a child to pick up a pencil to write
anything until you have dealt with the
whole child that would be love respect
self-esteem here we deal with the issues
and the Academia we try to mix it all in
together six computers you have here yes
six and the children have 15 to 20
minutes in there if they have a homework
assignment they can stay longer yes they
do go online and do Games Etc because
that's my bribe to keep them off the
streets I was born in Nashville
Tennessee my father was a doctor there
so he would drive us with him out to the
country to deliver the babies and uh he
would receive canned goods and a hog two
hogs maybe and uh that would be the pay
CU they didn't have money but I remember
seeing that that was a very important
thing to me it's something good to be
able to help someone we're here on this
planet we're keepers of the universe
we've been given a gift we're supposed
to keep it and keep it well all right
any random acts of kindness one good
deed laoren when my grandma was driving
me home from school it was this lady
that was in front of us she was trying
to turn but she couldn't so then she
started pushing the car so I got out the
car and help her you just like give
another person respect they'll give you
respect and they show you love did you
guys know each other before you started
this program I knew her I slapped
her she said this girl at school slapped
me I said tell her I said to come here
and so she brought her and that was a
exactly how it happened because I said
oh no we can't have that well when I
first came I was always fighting arguing
with people here I've been put together
and saved she'll tell you anything that
need to be corrected about you about
your clothes anything you can't say
nothing that's bad up in here or you
will owe her
aord there was um an article in our
bulletin one month that said Mama Hill
needs these kinds of volunteers one of
the things with grant writer
and I called and said well who's doing
the grant writing now and she said
nobody I said I can do better than
that started coming over to learn about
the program so that I could search for
money you know takes you about 15
minutes before you're hooked I just fell
in love with her fell in love with the
kids I'm over here all the
time we love to see them do better in
life we love for them to become a
success we love to see them do good
things why do you do what you do it was
1959 I believe uh when I joined the
Civil Rights Movement I was holding
hands of a a Caucasian male and um these
young people about AG of 13 maybe 14
drove up in a truck and they started
throwing rocks at us and uh one of the
Rocks just grazed my ear on this side
you know just passed me this is the rock
that was thrown at you yes uh-huh during
the Civil Rights exactly the young man I
guess who threw it uh came toward me and
he was staring at me he was glaring at
me but he just stopped and I looked at
him I looked him in the eye he looked me
in the eye and I think he just realized
oh this is another human being he turned
around and walked back and got in the
truck didn't uh really hurt me yes and
it's the beginning of so many things as
well yes that's why I keep it to remind
me from whence I've come and how I must
be humble and uh that there's always
hope in the world for peace that's
beautiful when you love yourself you
don't want to hurt other people hurt
people hurt other people so what we're
trying to do here is stop them from
hurting so they won't hurt anyone else
I'm like a whole new person now like now
I could be the nicest person someone has
ever met she showed me things that like
me having not having a mom
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she's done so much for me like when I
didn't have clothes she gave me clothes
full she could have been gave up on me
and just let me go and I would have
still been back child but for her to
still be here and still take care of me
and help me like it show me that she
really car that she really do love me
I've seen people who just had a moment
of kindness or love and it changes their
whole life so I think that it's
extremely important I think it's the
most powerful force uh on the universe
she is a walking embodiment of Love She
Is Love In Action she comes at
everything from Love and that's what she
teaches these
kids I'm living something I never
thought I'd be able to live it's like
I'm In Peace So if you had to describe
mama in one word what would it
be
Angel
courageous
love she basically devotes her life to
love that's what she encourages
everybody to do like if you don't do
nothing else you better love everybody
all of us that she's had a big impact on
she'll live through all of us she's
always going to be here mama Hill how
does it make you feel to hear these I'm
crying so you know how it makes me feel
I'm trying not to cry cuz you know I'll
mess up my makeup
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