--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My mother grew up in abject poverty in…" description: "\"My mother grew up in abject poverty in Mississippi, an elementary school dropout. Yet, with the support of women around her, she returned to school and..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c59/stacey-abrams-5605_elementary-school_my-mother-grew-up-in-abject-poverty-in-m_13414.jpg" --- # My mother grew up in abject poverty in Mississippi, an… ![“My mother grew up in abject poverty in Mississippi, an elementary school dropout. Yet, with the support of women around her, she returned to school and graduated as class valedictorian - the only one of her seven siblings to finish high school. She became a librarian and then a United Methodist…” quote by Stacey Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c59/stacey-abrams-5605_elementary-school_my-mother-grew-up-in-abject-poverty-in-m_13414.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c59/stacey-abrams-5605_elementary-school_my-mother-grew-up-in-abject-poverty-in-m_13414.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c59/stacey-abrams-5605_elementary-school_my-mother-grew-up-in-abject-poverty-in-m_13414.jpg) > “My mother grew up in abject poverty in Mississippi, an elementary school dropout. Yet, with the support of women around her, she returned to school and graduated as class valedictorian - the only one of her seven siblings to finish high school. She became a librarian and then a United Methodist minister.” [Stacey Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacey-abrams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A story of resilience where community support enables a person to overcome extreme poverty and limited formal education, achieving academic excellence and leadership roles. **In simple terms:** Community support fuels personal transformation. Key Takeaway Support networks can break cycles of poverty. Themes Resilience Education Community Gender Social Mobility Leadership Mood Inspirational Hopeful Determined Type Personal Narrative Testimonial Motivational When to use this quote - Returning to school as an adult - Becoming a valedictorian despite odds - Pursuing a career in ministry - Leading a community as a librarian Key Concepts Poverty Education Access Female Empowerment Faith Practical Applications - Mentorship programs for at‑risk youth - Adult education initiatives Questions to Reflect On - What role does community play in overcoming systemic barriers? - How can societies better support non‑traditional learners? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Class Valedictorian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class-valedictorian-374366/) [Elementary school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elementary-school/) [High school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-school/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/) [Poverty Mississippi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty-mississippi-374365/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [School dropout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school-dropout/) [School Graduated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school-graduated-374364/) [Support](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/support/) [Valedictorian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/valedictorian-374367/) [Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women/) ## Related quotes > [When I was in high school at the age of 17 - I graduated from high school in Decatur, Georgia, as valedictorian of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacey-abrams/when-i-was-in-high-school-at-the-age-of-17-i-graduated-from-high/) [Stacey Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacey-abrams/) > [I had a weird high school because I graduated early when I was 16. 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I graduated two years ahead of Sandy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-king/sandy-koufax-went-to-the-same-school-as-me-i-graduated-two-years/) [Larry King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-king/) > [I was an excellent student before I left school. But I graduated early so that I could work longer hours on '90210.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennie-garth/i-was-an-excellent-student-before-i-left-school-but-i-graduated-early/) [Jennie Garth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennie-garth/) > [“I went to a homosexual high school. I graduated top in my class. I couldn't imagine being on the bottom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-went-to-a-homosexual-high-school-i-graduated-top-in-my-class-i/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [Eighty-two percent of prisoners in the United States are high-school dropouts. A high-school dropout between the ages of 30 and 34 is two-thirds more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamala-harris/eighty-two-percent-of-prisoners-in-the-united-states-are-high-school/) [Kamala Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamala-harris/) > [High school dropout rates nationally - Not enough is being done on this issue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cedric-richmond/high-school-dropout-rates-nationally-not-enough-is-being-done-on-this/) [Cedric Richmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cedric-richmond/) > [As a high school dropout, I understand the value of education: A second chance at obtaining my high school diploma through the G.I. Bill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-b-rangel/as-a-high-school-dropout-i-understand-the-value-of-education-a-second/) [Charles B. Rangel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-b-rangel/) > [I was 19 years old, pumping gas and going nowhere. I was kind of a high school dropout at that point because I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-oates/i-was-19-years-old-pumping-gas-and-going-nowhere-i-was-kind-of-a-high/) [Adam Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-oates/) > [The University of North Carolina-Greensboro has ordered a Christian club to allow non-Christians as leaders. While we're at it, let's put high school dropouts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-thompson/the-university-of-north-carolina-greensboro-has-ordered-a-christian/) [Fred Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-thompson/) > [Some of the best projects to ever come out of Atari or Chuck E. Cheese's were from high school dropouts, college dropouts. One guy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nolan-bushnell/some-of-the-best-projects-to-ever-come-out-of-atari-or-chuck-e-cheese/) [Nolan Bushnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nolan-bushnell/) ## More by Stacey Abrams > [One of the traditional rites of passage for political candidates is the revelation of financial status - a catechism-like recital of money mistakes made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacey-abrams/one-of-the-traditional-rites-of-passage-for-political-candidates-is/) [Stacey Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacey-abrams/) > [Discriminatory legislation emboldens those who seek to make us afraid while giving those communities it hurts a concrete reason to fear. We must stay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacey-abrams/discriminatory-legislation-emboldens-those-who-seek-to-make-us-afraid/) [Stacey Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacey-abrams/) > [I grew up one of six children with working-class parents in the Deep South. 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Americans understand that these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacey-abrams/we-must-reject-the-cynicism-that-says-allowing-every-eligible-vote-to/) [Stacey Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacey-abrams/) > [My being a black woman is not a deficit. It is a strength. Because I could not be where I am had I not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacey-abrams/my-being-a-black-woman-is-not-a-deficit-it-is-a-strength-because-i/) [Stacey Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacey-abrams/) > [The basis for sustainable progress is legal protections grounded in an awareness of how identity has been used to deny opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacey-abrams/the-basis-for-sustainable-progress-is-legal-protections-grounded-in/) [Stacey Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacey-abrams/) > [Educating bold and ambitious children from cradle to career stands as a clear and foundational goal for Georgia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacey-abrams/educating-bold-and-ambitious-children-from-cradle-to-career-stands-as/) [Stacey Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacey-abrams/) > [To make a good decision, you actually need to think about it, the contours and the consequences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacey-abrams/to-make-a-good-decision-you-actually-need-to-think-about-it-the/) [Stacey Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacey-abrams/) > ['First things first' might be a cliche, but it's a useful one that means prioritizing what matters most to you and believing there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacey-abrams/first-things-first-might-be-a-cliche-but-it-s-a-useful-one-that-means/) [Stacey Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacey-abrams/) > [Clean energy jobs can exist across the state and create micro-economies to support struggling communities. Local governments can use advanced energy to retrain workers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacey-abrams/clean-energy-jobs-can-exist-across-the-state-and-create-micro/) [Stacey Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacey-abrams/) [Explore all 100 Stacey Abrams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacey-abrams/) ## More Elementary school quotes > [“ask yourself how many people you have met who grumbled at a thing as incurable, and how many who attacked it as curable? How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/ask-yourself-how-many-people-you-have-met-who-grumbled-at-a-thing-as/) [G.K. 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Play-Doh was pretty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-blackwell/john-davis-smells-like-play-doh-when-we-were-in-elementary-school-it/) [Tammy Blackwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-blackwell/) > [I stumbled upon Charles White purely by chance while looking through a book 'Great Negroes, Past and Present' in the library at Forty-Ninth Street…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/i-stumbled-upon-charles-white-purely-by-chance-while-looking-through/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [In late elementary school, early high school, I started losing my hair in chunks in the shower. It was one of the scariest things.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alessia-cara/in-late-elementary-school-early-high-school-i-started-losing-my-hair/) [Alessia Cara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alessia-cara/) > [My mother was an elementary school teacher for 35 years and taught at the Nixon School in New Jersey. I was raised as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-dinklage/my-mother-was-an-elementary-school-teacher-for-35-years-and-taught-at/) [Peter Dinklage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-dinklage/) > [“Abuse doesn’t come from people’s inability to resolve conflicts but from one person’s decision to claim a higher status than another. So while it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lundy-bancroft/abuse-doesn-t-come-from-people-s-inability-to-resolve-conflicts-but/) [Lundy Bancroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lundy-bancroft/) > [“I stayed indoors most of the time, which kept my skin very white. And my hair was as black as Ilana's. I wore black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-budnitz/i-stayed-indoors-most-of-the-time-which-kept-my-skin-very-white-and/) [Judy Budnitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-budnitz/) > [Americans need to educate themselves, from elementary school onward, about what their country has done abroad. 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