Bold
The Jodie Patterson The writer and activist speaks candidly about parenting, diversity, and learning to adapt
By Hester Aba
J
odie Patterson is a writer and activist, raising five children in New York City. Jodie’s memoir, The Bold World, which recently came out in paperback, lovingly and unflinchingly discusses her childhood and her own experience of being parented, as preparation for the challenges she has faced as a parent herself. Jodie’s awakening as an activist grew from the experience of one of her children identifying as transgender: her son, Penelope. We talked to Jodie about her fascinating life, and her tips for parents facing unforeseeable and unique challenges. We loved reading your memoir, The Bold World, which shares the story of your family history, your experience growing up in New York, and your life as a mother to five very different children. One of the main lessons your parents imparted is “to think in numbers” when it comes to the experience of being Black. What does that mean to you? As a black person, I’m often made to feel that there aren’t many of “us” out there. That I’m only one of a few. That I’m the strange minority in the room. My parents taught me differently. They taught me to think collectively, to link arms with anyone who shared a similar perspective of the world and shared the obstacles we experience as Black people. So brown folks
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all over the world became “Our People”. Simply because all brown people experience racism and oppression in some form. Thinking collectively made me feel powerful — even as a little girl I felt like I was part of a warrior tribe. Whenever you link yourself to lineage and to a global collective, you center yourself. I’ve tried to pass that on to my children: You are the prototype. When you tell Black children, girls, queer kids “you are the prototype” it’s radical — because everything else in society is telling them they don’t count. You attended the Convent of the Sacred Heart on the Upper East side, where you had the experience of being one of only a few African-American students. You then attended an Historically Black College (HBCU), and chose a multicultural school for your children. How did you make decisions about race and education in New York City? I look for schools that reflect how we identify — which is very diverse and layered — so it’s an intense process choosing the right school. In my family we speak Twi from Ghana, English, Swiss German, and French. We are cis, trans, gender queer, straight, and a few things in between. I also consider us a feminist family. Our parents and grandparents are from America, West Africa, Switzerland and Canada. I look for schools that support and reflect all those identities. Essentially our schools combine academic rigor and
