Growing up Donnie & Kaki

Author Birdel Jackson tells the story of his first 18 years growing up in segregated Memphis Tennessee of the 1940s and 50s with his younger sister Carol Ann. The siblings were known to family and friends as Donnie and Kaki. The siblings were raised in a household with their paternal grandparents Gladys and Birdel Senior and parents Leslieann and Birdel Junior. This nurturing environment was the foundation of their ideas, habits, friendships, religious training, and motivation for success experienced by the siblings. Mother Leslieann was the constant motivator of her two children. She was raised in New Jersey and often confronted the legal segregation of Memphis and its southern customs. The household provided a constant learning environment and motivation for higher education. Father Birdel Junior and Mother Leslieann left their mortgage free home in Memphis to begin a new life in Newark, New Jersey. This autobiography describes the journey of the siblings toward becoming successful professionals.