Sylvarita
I was born and raised in North Chicago. My years here in Lake County… 76.
My father was a gifted carpenter. He built our home that still stands today. I just loved being with my father. Wherever he went, I wanted to go. When he was building things, I would go. I learned all the tools. He’d tell me, “Go get go get that thing-a-majig over there. Yeah, the doohickey.” And I’d get that. I knew based on what he was doing which tool he was talking about. I couldn't have been any more than five or six.
I kind of lived complicated life, a little bit. I was not raised with my siblings. I was raised with my grandparents, and they eventually adopted me. They were my mother and father. But I knew my parents and I knew my siblings. They came every summer to visit.
My parents were very young. My father was in the Navy, and his hometown was Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I was maybe a year old or something and they moved back to Philadelphia. But my grandparents convinced them to let me stay– to let them have a start. That's how I ended up staying here. And it never bothered me. It’s just the way it was. And I was happy with it. It was hard for people to understand it but it never bothered me. It wasn’t a secret or anything. I always knew. I was like, "Woo! I've got two moms!" You know, I was okay with that.
What are your most distinct memories of growing up in North Chicago?
I have a lot of memories of growing up; life changing, and understanding that people didn't have a lot. I remember my father building the house. And I always had my own bedroom— always having my own everything— and having so many friends that didn't have. So many friends that didn't have their own anything.
My mother used to say, "Every time I see you got some little kids behind you!" So many kids trailing, but they didn’t have this or that.
And my mother used to say, "You give away everything!" You know, all the fruits and all the goodies. We had freezers that had ice cream all the time. And I would ask the kids, "You guys want ice cream cone?" Because I knew they didn't have any.
When I was six, maybe. I had a three-wheeled tricycle, and of course nobody else had that. So I'm riding up and down Dickey [Avenue], and my mother looks out the window and she says, "You are so silly. You're runnin' behind your own bike! All the time!" Because somebody needed a ride and somebody else wants one. I'm the only one that had a trike. The only one. So they're riding, and I'm running.
I just felt like I just got to help everybody. And it's hard for me to say no.
Is that a blessing or a curse?
I guess sometimes it can be a curse. It can be. I’ve had to deal with that, too. When to say no and stick with it.
What do you think people should know about North Chicago that they don’t?
You know, it's not Chicago. It's a community. Growing up, I used to take my allowance and go shopping– I called it shopping– on Sheridan Road. There was a 5-and-10 cent store down there, a men’s clothing store, a Walgreens, and there was a Salvation Army that had books. I was probably 8 or 9. You could do that! Nobody would bother you.
I do think there's a lot of people that really want good for North Chicago, but some of them are are not as old as I am– to have seen where the growth in North Chicago kind of stopped. I think people love the community and I think they want the best for the community, but they may not always know how to go about it.
I’d say I’m more disappointed in the adults that I am the young people. It's just a plight to keep helping them to grow and help them to want more. And it seems that when they do aspire to do really well, and aspire to do better, they leave. That's where the disappointment comes in for me.
What do you aspire to, personally?
On the whole, I aspire to be an example of God's goodness. To live a wholesome life. To live a righteous life. To be honest. To be loving and kind, even in spite of so many things, but to be truthful. That's what it means to me, to live according what the scripture says.
This conversation has been edited and condensed.