Mikayla Rose Pyke-Sharpe

My grandmother, Hyacinth Rose Thomas, was born on May 25th, 1950, in the town of Maypen, Jamaica. My grandmother says that growing up, she was not treated differently based on her sex. In Jamaica, unequal treatment was largely based on complexion and class. My grandmother did not grow up in a very political family and thinking back, she does not remember knowing a lot of women who were involved in politics. My grandmother was also not very interested in politics. My grandmother voted for the first time in 1975 when she was 25 years old. She does not remember which party she voted for, but only that she found the politician good looking.

My grandmother immigrated to Hollis Queens in 1981 and initially, she found the Electoral College system confusing. The first time she voted in an American election was in her 40s. As my grandmother grew in age, she began to realize the importance of voting and that voting is the only way to change important issues that affect you.

My grandmother believes that in America, voting is strongly determined by a person’s gender and race, but that does not affect how she votes. My grandmother explains, “I am an individual, and no matter what you think, I’m going to do what I think.” My grandmother says that she is not a Republican or Democrat, but an Independent. In the past, she has voted both Republican and Democrat. My grandmother believes that voting is not dependent on the party but on what that individual can do for you, especially for women. She believes that we need more dialogue to solve our problems.