The Lowe family in Grand Rapids, Michigan, exemplifies a growing trend of multigenerational households, showcasing the benefits of living together. This extensive family unit includes four generations. Spearheaded by Gema Lowe, a local pastor supported by her 84-year-old mother, her younger sister and her daughters, one of whom—29-year-old mother of three, Jade Lowe—is a core organizer. More than a financial decision, they’ve selected to live in community with each other, cultivating a world that prioritizes generational wealth and liberation.
As an organizer working to improve air quality in her community, Gema Lowe fulfills family responsibilities by picking her grandchildren up from school. She describes the daily joy of being multigenerational has brought into their lives. Indigenous traditional ecological knowledge transcends boundaries. Knowledge passed down through the ages transcends boundaries. Each generation is building on that last and doing an even better job,” she told me.
Jade Lowe supports her household by giving her mom one-third of the rent. This set-up frees her from having to manage an additional mortgage. This setup reduces his financial burden and tightens family connections. “We just don’t think about ourselves. And so we conceive of [ourselves] as a community, as a collective,” Gema Lowe added, underscoring cultural ideas rooted in keeping family whole.
The family of six realizes living together involves making life a little easier on each other. It’s incredibly complex under the household. And because you know, sometimes I like the things how I like them,” Gema told us. She recognizes the value of compromise. And I have to learn, like, ‘Oh, but perhaps it’s not what they would want,’…” she continued.
Despite these inevitable clashes, the Lowe family agrees that it’s their very differences that constitute family greatness. Her daughter Jade values having so many different perspectives in her family. “And I love that you’re all so different!” she added. Together, they acknowledge these differences and bring people together in difficult moments. They sort of bring those differences under one roof. It is more important than ever to come together in today’s environment. “I believe that’s just the fact of us being under one roof that assists us with that,” Jade said.
For the Lowes, family dinners have turned into a welcoming routine to join together and talk about their day. Gema says the key is being intentional about scheduling family time between everyone’s personal activities. “I’ve structured my schedule a lot around family time so that we can all just sort of be productive,” she said.
The complexity her mother brings to their relationship is vital to the emotional core of the story. As a matriarch, she offers guidance and protection to the family. “My mom feels confident that I’m going to take care of her,” Gema said, pointing out how much they each want the other to be well.
The Lowe family’s choice to live together stems from a desire for stability and a commitment to supporting each other through life’s challenges. Because of their close-knit structure they are convinced that they’ve got a happy little world that benefits them and gives back to a bigger happy world, too. Family is the cornerstone of society. It strengthens the society to the outside world,” Gema said.
