During the Depression, Ella's father planted a third of their garden in collards. What grew there became a lifeline—not just for the Kelly family, but for their neighbors in the alley. Mama gave freely, never asking for payment, and decades later a woman came to tell Ella the truth about her mother.
Ella remembers her mother's generosity during the hardest times
A Daughter's Tribute
"Did you know you have an angel for a mother?"
— Oro, a neighbor from the alley, speaking to Ella years later
The Transcript
[06:30] Even to a big collard patch. Papa put about a third of the garden spot in collards, and they just grew and they grew and they grew.
And we lived in an alley. You know, went down—I don't know if you know anything about alleys—but they went down this side, and the Negroes were down there.
And one girl came here and told me she wanted to talk to me. She said, "Did you know you have an angel for a mother?" And I knew my mama was mighty good. I knew that everybody liked her.
And Oro was the girl that came, and she said that she didn't know what they would have done if they hadn't come up to our house and said they wanted to buy some collards or some beans or some corn or whatever was in that garden.
And said mama would give what she bought, and then if she had any onions or tomatoes or whatever, she had put some in.
And so that's what this girl came to tell me when I moved in here—that "did you know you had an angel for a mother?"
Mama's Sacrifice
[07:45] The fact is, I was the oldest that lived big enough to work, and my mother needed me. It was hard for her to have that many children and want every one of us to go off and try our wings.
I don't remember ever not having clean clothes. With a cow, and all of those chickens and things to take care of, and cook three meals a day. And after we got to town, you know, the depression was on, and people would go home with us for lunch. And my mama would have vegetables and stuff, and she never, never, never griped.
She needed more help than she got. She died when she was 52 with uterus cancer. And that was sad looking back. But while I was there, I think I was doing what I could.
Historical Context: Southern Gardens and Survival
During the Depression, home gardens were the difference between survival and starvation for many Southern families. Collard greens were a staple—hardy, nutritious, and able to survive Georgia's mild winters.
The "alley" Ella mentions refers to the segregated housing patterns common in the Jim Crow South. Black families often lived in separate areas behind white neighborhoods, typically with fewer resources and less opportunity.
What's remarkable about this story is the quiet generosity across racial lines during a time of strict segregation. Ari Dini Kelly didn't just sell vegetables—she gave extra to families who needed it, regardless of the social barriers of her time.
Ari Dini Abbott Kelly died at just 52 years old, worn down by the labor of raising ten children during the Depression. She was, as Oro said, an angel.
People Mentioned
Ari Dini Abbott Kelly (Mama) Graylee Kelly (Papa) Oro