Dear Mom,
We still laugh recalling the stories you shared about people assuming you were our nanny because we looked so different as kids. But we are incredibly fortunate to have you as our mother. Now that we are grown, we want to express our gratitude. We will forever cherish the moments and lessons that guided us toward self-acceptance.
You never let us relax our hair! We recall a few times as children when we begged to straighten it. We believed that if we relaxed our hair, it would stay straight and we could look like the other girls at school. But we are so glad you refused and taught us that natural beauty matters most. You helped us learn to love and care for our curls, and that they are just another unique part of who we are.
You taught us that we are all one race: human. When we faced racial adversity, you showed us how to stand up for ourselves. It does not matter who you are; respect and love for all cultures and ethnicities is what unites us, creating a life and world without boundaries.
You pushed us to challenge societal stereotypes of gender and race. You have always been an independent and powerful women for us to look up to. You didn’t let anyone hold you back from achieving your goals and you taught us the same. You taught us not put limits on what we can achieve because of our race or gender and you have always been our biggest supporter.
You did not let us rely solely on our looks; you encouraged us to be intelligent beings as well. We are not objects or exotic trophies, and being shades in the middle of white and black does not make us more or less than anyone else. When people complimented you with “Oh, such pretty girls,” you always made sure they knew we are not defined by our prettiness, because we are intelligent too!
When you speak of our background, you remind us to proud of all of our ethnicities. We are proud to have ancestors who came over on the Mayflower and a Polish last name. After an ancestry test and research we are proud to claim that we have origins from multiple regions in Africa and are of Native American descent. All of these fascinating stories are fun to learn and know that we are our own melting pot of amazing races!
We thank you, Mom, for raising us and teaching us to love every part of ourselves. For guiding us to be leaders who inspire others, and for holding us accountable to carry ourselves as respectable young women in our community. We thank you for being the role model we always look up to and aspire to become. We love you and thank you, Mom!
Megan, Amanda, and Alexis <3
Discover more of our stories at www.ruleofthr3e.com
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Megan Rudnik earned her B.S. in International Business with a minor in Spanish and her MBA from Winthrop University. After graduating, Megan spent two years in the Peace Corps, serving in Panama. She also recently completed four months in China teaching English.
Amanda Rudnik earned her B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting from The Citadel. While there, Amanda played all four years on the Citadel volleyball team and served in various leadership roles in the South Carolina Corps of Cadets. Amanda now works for a large company and pursues her dream of modeling.
Alexis Rudnik is currently a student at Winthrop University, studying Middle Level Education Math and Social Studies. Alexis was a member of the 2016 Winthrop Volleyball team and now coaches volleyball at the club level.
We all grew up in Minnesota for 10 years before moving to our current home in South Carolina. Our mother is African American and Native American, from Alabama. Our father is Polish and German, originally from Minnesota.