Global Black Voices: News from around the World
- Binta Kinteh, an immigrant single mother of four, achieved homeownership after years of perseverance and hard work.
- Habitat for Humanity used wood from the 2024 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree to build her new home.
- The house features a riser engraved with “Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree 2024”, a first in the partnership.
- Kinteh’s children gained privacy and stability, moving from crowded public housing into their own rooms.
- The donated Norway spruce was locally grown and donated in memory of Leslie by Earl Albert, giving the project local roots.
A mom of four got her Christmas gift early. Binta Kinteh, a healthcare worker and single mother of four, has finally realized her dream of homeownership—with a unique twist of holiday magic. She moved into her brand-new home in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, which includes wood from the 2024 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.
Kinteh, who immigrated from West Africa more than a decade ago, described the moment as the culmination of years of hard work and perseverance.
“I was so happy. As a single mother of four kids struggling in this country, being an immigrant, to have a home on my own. I’m so proud of myself,” she told The Post. The reality of her achievement, she admitted, was only beginning to sink in. “It was a journey. The kids were all happy. We have our home. Their mom gave them a home where they can call, ‘Our mother’s home. This is ours.’”
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Her home is part of a special initiative from Habitat for Humanity, which used wood from last year’s Rockefeller tree to build 42 homes in Pittsfield and nearby Housatonic. The towering 74-foot Norway spruce had been grown locally in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts, before being transported to Manhattan for the annual holiday display.
The four Kinteh children—ages 18, 15, 12, and 8—had watched the tree lighting on television last holiday season without realizing they would one day live in a house built with its wood. As the home went up, the excitement grew.
While all the homes in the project carry the spirit of the Rockefeller tree, Kinteh’s stands out for one unique feature — a riser on the bottom step that reads “Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree 2024.”
“My middle son, every day, would pass by the house and say, ‘Mom, they’re almost done!’” Kinteh recalled.
It’s the first house in the 18-year partnership between Rockefeller Center and Habitat for Humanity to bear such a marker.
“That’s history! I’m so grateful,” Kinteh said.
This is the first time Kinteh has purchased a home since leaving her life in the Gambia in 2012. At the time, she had four young children and no safety net when her husband abandoned her for another woman. She came to the United States determined to provide a solid future for her family, even if it meant beginning from zero.
Her early years in the country were characterized by long hours, tight budgets, and cramped living circumstances. She labored to earn her Certified Nursing Assistant license while also obtaining her immigration documents, all while paying rent in a tight public housing unit.
Her job in healthcare was demanding but gave her both financial stability and emotional strength. Known as “Mama B” to colleagues and patients alike, Kinteh found purpose in caring for others.
“I love that job so much. It makes me connect with people who have depression like myself … When I compare that with mine, I said, ‘I am suffering, but some people are suffering more than me.’ It gave me more courage to move on,” she explained.
Kinteh recently applied for a Habitat for Humanity home. To her surprise, she learned within weeks that she had been selected — a process she called nothing short of a “miracle.”
Although she didn’t know much about the Rockefeller Christmas tree, her children were thrilled to learn of the connection, especially when they discovered the tree had been grown just 10 miles away.
The spruce had been donated by Earl Albert in memory of his late wife, Leslie. The couple planted the sapling in 1967 as newlyweds, never imagining it would one day tower over Rockefeller Plaza before finding a second life in homes like Kinteh’s.
When the keys were finally in her hands, the family eagerly began settling into their new space. The home offers each child more privacy and gives them a permanent place to grow up — a far cry from the crowded public housing they once shared.
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