The strong, compassionate, big-hearted women in her family were a clear influence on Shamine Linton’s life, as she was growing up as a little girl in her home country of Jamaica. It was there, on her rural farm with goats, chickens and produce, that her grandmother taught her kindness and how to care for her community. Linton’s aunt was like a second mother to her, who supported Linton’s own mother, who’d had her as a teenager and experienced rejection and discrimination from others for having a child so young.

“The environment I grew up in gave me the desire to want to be the change I want to see. … If we harvested a big crop of potatoes, all our neighbors would receive potatoes, free of charge,” she said of the influence her upbringing had on her. “My mother, despite all the obstacles she faced, chose to raise me with courage, empathy and love. My mom exemplifies resilience and courage to me. She made me the woman I am today.”

And the woman that Linton is today is the founder and president of Sharia’s Closet, a nonprofit organization that provides emergency for San Diego families and individuals experiencing financial hardship or other crises.

Read the rest of the story at The San Diego Union-Tribune

Alternate link: From Jamaica to San Diego