Many words can be used to describe Ribbon Williams-Harvey. Mother. Achiever. Believer. Mature. College graduate. Valedictorian. Teacher.
Williams-Harvey has fought the majority of her life to ensure one word never will define her. That word is “stereotype.”
She became a mother at the age of 12. Mature beyond her years, she accepted her fate and took the responsibility of raising a child very seriously.
“My mom wanted to help, but I needed my son to see me as his mom and not his big sister,” Williams-Harvey said. “The only way I could have the control I needed was getting emancipated, which was not easy. I had to prove to a judge that I could be self-sufficient, which required that I do well in school and basically raise my son and maintain a household.”
With an enormous amount of help from her family, school counselors, resource officers and self-determination, she completed a specially designed middle-school homeschool program, and met all the requirements for emancipation after six months.
As her son Dontes grew up, Williams-Harvey made sure he did well in school. When she became pregnant in 1993, Williams-Harvey admitted she was beginning to feel “like the stereotypical image of African-American single mothers negatively portrayed in the media.” So she got her GED – without even studying for the test.
By 2016, she had six children ranging in age from 23 to 9. Yet she graduated summa cum laude from Harris-Stowe State University with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education – and delivered the commencement address to 150 fellow graduates May 14.
Williams-Harvey, who will become a first-time grandmother in July, will be teaching fourth grade at Hickey Elementary School in the Saint Louis Public School District this fall.
“I had tons of support from my children, my parents, my siblings and friends, my church and a lot of different people at the university,” Williams-Harvey said. “The people who love me saw my potential, and they made sure I was at every single performance, awards banquet, track meet and graduation my children had, and that I could write papers and study when I needed to.”
The individuals who played such pivotal roles in Williams-Harvey’s early life – Dontes and both of her parents – passed away unexpectedly within the past two-and-a-half years.
“After so many losses, going harder was my way to keep my mind occupied,” she said. “I poured my grief into my work at the university by helping my classmates every opportunity I could.”
Becoming class valedictorian meant the world to Williams-Harvey.
“I wanted everyone to know that you can’t be counted out until you leave this earth,” Williams-Harvey said. “It was important to me for them to know that mistakes are made and life goes on. The perception that my people have to look a particular way, sound a particular way, or come from a particular place to be valedictorian is a myth. When they see me, a pre-teen mom who had six children by the time I turned 27, and see that I couldn’t be counted out, they will be confident enough to take that leap.”
To watch Williams-Harvey’s Commencement speech, visit http://www.hssu.edu/rsp_index.cfm?wid=83.
