Vivian was born in Marion, North Carolina in 1967. She move North with her mother when she was 6 1/2 year old.

“I would go down every summer and spend the summer with my grandmother and my grandfather. For me it was very good to see the difference between the North and the South. The family continuity of the South and the neighbors took care of themselves and of each other. Walking through the neighborhoods everyone knew everyone, everyone was cordial. Folks knew everyone and they looked out for everyone. When I would come back home from being down South, I would notice that the same thing took place on my street, which was a predominately black street. So in my neighborhood it was kind of the same thing, but just on that one street.”