The Matriarch Meetings
Desmond Melson
Grandmother: Sheenaa Melson
Desmond Melson is a fifth year senior at the University of Michigan, and part of the Track and Field team. He is discussing his grandmother Sheenaa Melson and the challenges of family separated by distance.
In his interview, Desmond Melson talks about his paternal grandmother, Sheenaa Melson. Sheenaa is a successful poet, who routinely publishes pieces and has poetry readings. Sheenaa perfectly demonstrates how an older woman is capable of more than just grandmotherhood, and why the Grandmother Hypothesis is socially constraining. Desmond goes on to discuss the difficulties of a family separated by physical distance, and how he feels like his family is supporting his grandmother but he struggles to feel a part of that effort as a result of that distance.
Desmond places an emphasis on the strength and resilience of his grandmother, a trait that Mollie Berglund (another interviewee) shared admiration for in her own grandmother. The image below of a horse represents Sheenaa's strength and work ethic, while the other images reflect other aspects of her personality. Desmond describes his grandmother as sweet, and recalls his grandmother's signature cake.
