For the past 26 years, 54-year-old Dorothy Fordice-Blackman has been pounding the streets of Georgetown, in rain or shine, braving the odds to sell newspapers. The vending of publications has been her only occupation over the years in which the earning was able to take care of her and to send her children to school, among other things.
Dorothy Fordice-Blackman
Blackman was born in 1966 and was the fifth out of nine children. Her mother was the breadwinner of the family, while her father stayed home and took care of the household chores because he was continuously unemployed. This forced her to start cooking at age eight. She attended a Nursery School at Waterloo Street and then the St. George’s Primary and Secondary School. However, due to the burden on her mother, Blackman did not get to complete her secondary education because her mother could not afford to purchase school uniforms and other school materials.
Despite her parents never instilled the value of going to school and attained a sound education, she stated that she had always loved attending school because it would allow her to interact with schoolmates. Right after dropping out of High School at age thirteen, she started working as a babysitter for her sister’s children. She lived a happy and comfortable childhood; however, at age sixteen, Blackman became pregnant, which was followed by four more children. Regrettably, her first child died several years ago.
Venturing into Business
Blackman explained that she had to be both parents for her five children because she and her husband parted ways after 18 years of marriage. She realized that bills have been accumulating and thus embarked on her newspaper business in 1994. She wakes up at 6:00 am and usually sells newspapers up to 4:00 pm at the Bourda Market (Orange Walk and North Road) on Monday through Wednesday and Thursday to Saturday at the corner of Alexander and Church street on various days.
She realized that the income from the newspaper was not enough to take care of the bills, as such, she added an assortment of confectionery, biscuits, snacks, gum, mints to help increase her daily income. It was this income from these items that helped her children to complete high school and obtain well-paying jobs. Blackman was even able to send her third child to pursue a career in law, who is now working at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court. Her other two children are employed by Gafoors snd GuyOil Guyana
“I’m extremely proud of my children and myself, but mostly my children.”
She enjoys working because she gets to meet and interact with new people every day. This budding vendor’s hobbies include reading, baking, and watching television. She also loves spending quality time with her children and grandchildren, along with icing cakes and making chair backs in her spare time. Ms. Blackman noted that she dislikes fighting and arguing, but she loves peace, unity, and harmony, which are her core principles. Her encouragement to persons out there is straightforward, she said:
“If you have an education, you can achieve anything in life.”
In a nutshell, Blackman is a humble woman who has been making ways through all odds to ensure that she gives her children a life that she never had. If you are passing by Bourda Market or at the corner of Alexander and Church street, be sure to check out Blackman’s stall and pick up a copy of the dailies to see what is happening around Guyana.
