Interview with Suzy Post, April 29, 2013

Partial Transcript: I am Nieta Wigginton. I am here with Suzy Post. We are in her Louisville home...

Segment Synopsis: Post gives some preliminary information about herself. She describes her childhood, which took place during the Great Depression.

Keywords: Activists; Childhood; Great Depression; Jews

Subjects: Depressions--1929; Family--history; Immigrants; Louisville (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: What's your mother and your father's names?

Segment Synopsis: Post discusses her German-Jewish parents. She tells how this heritage influenced her to become involved in activism.

Keywords: Assimilation; First generation immigrants; German Jews; German immigrants; Jewish heritage

Subjects: Childhood; Immigrants; Jews; Jews--Cultural assimilation--United States

Partial Transcript: At what age did you, um, notice that there were differences in the way people were being treated in Louisville...

Segment Synopsis: Post shares her early memories of encountering racism, and discusses her decision to join the NAACP chapter at Indiana University. She states that she also joined the ACLU when she returned to Louisville.

Keywords: ACLU; Louisville Urban League; NAACP

Subjects: African Americans; American Civil Liberties Union; Braden, Anne, 1924-2006; Braden, Carl, 1914-1975; Louisville (Ky.); Louisville (Ky.)--Social conditions; National Association for the Advancement of Colored People; Racism; Segregation

Partial Transcript: Why were you drawn to that organization?

Segment Synopsis: Post shares her reasoning for joining the ACLU, and states that she dislikes the idea of the government being intrusive in people's lives. She tells how, as president of the board, she worked to make the board of the Louisville ACLU more active.

Keywords: ACLU; Civil rights

Subjects: American Civil Liberties Union; American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky; Civil rights; Feminism; Louisville (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: Well, your life work has been about equalizing...

Segment Synopsis: Post tells how she first became involved in the Open (Fair) Housing Movement in Louisville.

Keywords: Discrimination; Equal rights; Fair Housing Movement; Fair housing; Housing; Open Housing Movement

Subjects: Discrimination in housing; Louisville (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: Well, tell us how you went about campaigning to get funding so the individuals who, who were arrested...

Segment Synopsis: Post discusses how churches and organizations donated money to post bail for protesters who had been arrested for their work in the Open Housing Movement. She also talks about the anti-Vietnam War movement, which she was involved in.

Keywords: Anti-war movements; FTA; Fair Housing Movement; Liberalism; Open Housing Movement; Presbyterian Church; Segregated housing; Synagogues; Unitarian Church

Subjects: College students; Discrimination in housing; Fort Knox (Ky.); Housing; Segregation; Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Protest movements

Partial Transcript: I, during the course of this knew that a lot of phones were being tapped. This is one of the funnier stories in my life of activism.

Segment Synopsis: Post talks about her fear that her phone line was tapped, and how an incident involving this caused her husband to join her anti-war cause. She also describes some of the anti-war activities she was involved in.

Keywords: Anti-war movements; Blanche Cooper; Cambodia; Deserters; Laundry; Legal defense; Marches; Meetings; Phone bills; Phone booths; Phone lines; Phone tapping; Phones; Wire taps

Subjects: Braden, Anne, 1924-2006; Braden, Carl, 1914-1975; Courier-journal (Louisville, Ky.); Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Protest movements

Partial Transcript: ...And you marched from what location to what...

Segment Synopsis: Post describes the reasons for marches and demonstrations, and why they are effective.

Keywords: Demonstrations; Marches; Media

Subjects: Anti-war demonstrations; Civil rights demonstrations; Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Protest movements

Partial Transcript: Now, he put his life on the line. You um, later became in other activities that...

Segment Synopsis: Post shares her reasons for becoming involved in social justice issues, and specifically in the desegregation of schools in Jefferson County, Kentucky.

Keywords: Desegregation; Dilapidation; Feminism; Injustice; Racial desegregation; School segregation:Diane April

Subjects: American Civil Liberties Union; American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky; Central High School (Louisville, Ky.); Courier-journal (Louisville, Ky.); Jefferson County (Ky.); Johnson, Lyman T., 1906-1997; Louisville (Ky.); Segregation; Segregation in education--Kentucky

Partial Transcript: Now how do your activity in the desegregation of schools, uh, and getting schools up to par...

Segment Synopsis: Post discusses Title IX, and the work that she did with NOW (The National Organization for Women) to ensure that schools were actually complying with the terms that it specified.

Keywords: Gender roles; Questionnaires; Sexism; Title IX

Subjects: Gender issues; National Organization for Women; United States. Education Amendments of 1972. Title IX

Partial Transcript: What are the scapegoat issues now, you think?

Segment Synopsis: Post states that she feels that American culture must always have some sort of scapegoat, and that currently Latinos are being blamed for a number of things. She discusses a number of other activism organizations that she is involved in.

Keywords: Civil rights movements; Economics; Emily's List; Hispanics; Illegal immigrants; Louis Coleman; Pro-choice; Scapegoats; The women's movement

Subjects: Civil rights movements--United States; Hispanic Americans--Kentucky.; Hispanic Americans.; Latin Americans--Kentucky; Latin Americans--United States

Partial Transcript: Who are the other agitators that you worked with?

Segment Synopsis: Post discusses Reverend Louis Coleman, a Louisville civil rights activist, and describes several of the issues he confronted.

Keywords: ACLU; Bob Sedler; Bullhorns; Coaches; Drugs; Guns; Jobs; Kentucky High School Athletic Association; Law professors; Lawsuits; Lawyers; Louis Coleman; Mattie Jones; Political agitators; Valhalla Golf Course

Subjects: American Civil Liberties Union; Braden, Anne, 1924-2006; Coaches (Athletics); Louisville (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: You mentioned uh, Lyman Johnson...

Segment Synopsis: Post talks about her friend and mentor Lyman T. Johnson.

Keywords: Ancestors; Bar Mitzvahs; Calendars; Children; Friendships; Mentors; Slaves; Walter Hutchins

Subjects: Johnson, Lyman T., 1906-1997; National Association for the Advancement of Colored People; University of Kentucky

Partial Transcript: Now you mentioned then the next night...

Segment Synopsis: Post talks about her grandfather, Abe Post, who immigrated to the United States after being persecuted in Russia for being a Jew. She also tries to explain why she referred to herself earlier as being "of Hebrew persuasion".

Keywords: Abe Post; Antisemitism; Children; Cossacks; Hebrews; Jewish decent; Russia; Russian Jews; Russians

Subjects: Jews

Partial Transcript: Now in terms of um, where you are now, in terms of working-- uh, you mentioned that you have...

Segment Synopsis: Post discusses the idea that women live longer so that they can work more with the generations that follow theirs.

Keywords: Anthropologists; Babies; Grandchildren; Great grandchildren; Lifespans; Marriage

Subjects: Family--history; Segregation; Women

Partial Transcript: If your grandchildren were here right now, and you only had three minutes to tell them...

Segment Synopsis: Post shares several occurrences in her early life that spurred her to be more aware of injustice. She also talks about her support of rights for gays and lesbians. She states her opinion that most types of prejudice are based in stupidity.

Keywords: Activism; Banks; Children; Drinking fountains; Graduate students; Grandchildren; Homosexuals; Lesbians; Racial slurs; Words

Subjects: African Americans; Discrimination in housing; Gays; Jews; Lesbians; Louisville (Ky.); Segregation

Partial Transcript: Well, to help educate other people, you mention uh, Congressman Lewis' book, that that was...

Segment Synopsis: Post describes some of the harassment and intimidation that she and her family were subjected to because of her work to desegregate Louisville.

Keywords: Books; Cards; Desegregation; Doctors; Family; Fear; Harassment; Intimidation; Louis Coleman; Racism; Riding groups; Siblings; Variety stores

Subjects: Education; Families; Ku Klux Klan (1915- ); Louisville (Ky.); Segregation

Partial Transcript: When you were growing up, had you intended to be an activist? What, what job did you want to have?

Segment Synopsis: Post shares how she wanted to become a florist or a writer when she was a child, and states that she never planned to become an activist. She states her opinion that the West End of Louisville has not been invested in by the rest of the city.

Keywords: Activists; Florists; Flowers; Forget-me-nots; Japanese Anemones; Jay's Restaurant (Louisville, Ky.); Letters to the editor; West End (Louisville, Ky.); Writers

Subjects: Louisville (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: Tell me about, um, how, how have people, what was, what were your media appearances...

Segment Synopsis: Post talks about her involvement in the Louisville media to promote certain causes, and describes some of the letters to the editor that she has written to the Courier-journal.

Keywords: Letters to the editor; Media; Public speakers; Television

Subjects: Courier-journal (Louisville, Ky.); Louisville (Ky.); Republican Party (U.S. : 1854- )

Partial Transcript: Speaking of, of different people, um, can we just share that your, your family...

Segment Synopsis: Post describes her multicultural family, including their careers and backgrounds.

Keywords: Asians; Bar Mitzvahs; Careers; Educators; Family members; Mennonites; Nonprofit organizations; Religions

Subjects: Children; Families; Family--history; Jews

Partial Transcript: Kentucky has a large Congolese uh, refugee population that has, has come to Kentucky...

Segment Synopsis: Post discusses the Jewish refugees moving to Israel, and describes the importance of Israel as a national homeland for Jews.

Keywords: Congo; Congolese; Displacement; Jewish National Fund; Money; Palestine; Pushke; Russian Jews; Settlers; Soviet Union

Subjects: Emigration and immigration; Immigrants; Israel; Jews; Refugees

Partial Transcript: Did you have any family members who were impacted by the Holocaust?

Segment Synopsis: Post shares how her German Jewish family was impacted by the Holocaust. She states that she did not force the Jewish faith on her children, and states her opinion that one of the main purposes of religion is social control.

Keywords: Equity; Family; Family members; German Jews; Germans; Germany; Holocaust; Nazi Germany; Nazis; Religion; Social control; Tapestries

Subjects: Families; Family--history; Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945); Jews

Partial Transcript: And how did you feel when uh, you were inducted into the Kentucky Civil Rights Hall of Fame?

Segment Synopsis: Post shares her views on her induction into the Kentucky Civil Rights Hall of Fame. Wigginton and others who are present share some other reasons why the Hall of Fame is important, including how it affects overall views on Kentucky in the United States.

Keywords: Beverly Watts; Blogging; Kentucky Civil Rights Hall of Fame; Letters to the editor; Propaganda; Young people

Subjects: African Americans--Kentucky; Kentucky

Partial Transcript: I was actually more effective on a national scene then I was locally.

Segment Synopsis: Post describes her work with the National ACLU. She shares how she helped to persuade the organization to take a stand against the Vietnam War, and to support a woman's right to choose.

Keywords: ACLU; Abortion; National board of directors; Pacifists; Patriot Act; Pro-choice; Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Subjects: American Civil Liberties Union; Lobbying; Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Protest movements; Women; Women civil rights workers

Partial Transcript: And she was in Louisville about... eight years ago for a law school dinner...

Segment Synopsis: Post talks about a dinner she attended at the Seelbach Hotel, where her former colleague Ruth Bader Ginsburg was speaking. She recalls meeting Ginsburg again after not seeing her for some years.

Keywords: Brandeis Dinner; College students; Crowds; Jewish newspapers; Lung removal; Pantyhose; Photographers; Seelbach Hotel (Louisville, Ky.); Supreme Court justices

Subjects: Ginsburg, Ruth Bader; Louisville (Ky.); University of Louisville

Partial Transcript: You mentioned the removal of one of your lungs. Explain?

Segment Synopsis: Post recalls how she had to have a lung removed due to cancer. She tells how the loss of this lung has impacted her everyday life. She also explains why she is divorced from her husband, and talks about the harmful effects of being addicted to smoking. The interview is concluded.

Keywords: Chemotherapy; Chocolate; Diabetes; Divorce; Exercise; Laundry; Lawyers; Lung Cancer; Milky Way Lights; Public healthcare; Single payer healthcare; Smoking; Tobacco

Subjects: Surgery