Our conversation this week is with Suzi Altman: photographer, caretaker of folk-art treasure Margaret's Grocery, and Mississippian by way of Youngstown, OH and New York City.
"I couldn't just let that be forgotten or overlooked." When Suzi moved to Mississippi, she received the gifts of friendship with James Meredith, "Preacher" Dennis, and Margaret Rogers Dennis. She didn't take them for granted, working tirelessly to honor, preserve, and amplify James' rightful place in history and save iconic folk-art site Margaret's Grocery. In spite of everything, Suzi keeps going because she keeps her promises. She doesn't wait for the miracle. She sees it and shows up for it every day.
In this episode you'll listen to Suzi's journey to Mississippi, how a photograph started a special friendship with James Meredith, the simple beauty of Preacher and Margaret, her fight to save Margaret's Grocery and her own life, the power of saying 'yes', and much more.
Location: Suzi's home in Brandon, Mississippi.
The Story of Margaret's Grocery in Vicksburg, Mississippi
Donate to help Save Margaret's Grocery
Mentioned in this episode:
'Tell Me a Story' by Robert Penn Warren
David Milch - Every Story is a "Showing Up"
Brink Lindsey's "The Permanent Problem"
Man's Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl
Lorelei Books in Vicksburg, MS
40 Years After Infamy, Ole Miss Looks to Reflect and Heal
The Rainbow Room at the Rockefeller Center
Eyes on Mississippi: A Fifty-Year Chronicle of Change by Bill Minor
Willie Tankersley
Dan Rather Interview with James Meredith
Oral history interview with 'Chooky' Falkner
Sacred Space: Photographs from the Mississippi Delta by Tom Rankin
Anson Sheldon, pro-segregation rioter at the University of Mississippi in 1962
Proud to Call Mississippi Home by Checky Herrington
