“I’m Still Here” Documenting James Meredith is an exhibition of 60 photographs that trace Suzi Altman’s deep commitment to documenting the past twenty years of James Meredith’s activism and his third and final mission. This is only a small part of an extensive archive that chronicles him over the past twenty years. The exhibition traces a photographic journey, beginning with the first photograph Altman made for a story on the fortieth anniversary of desegregation of the University of Mississippi. The assignment was Altman’s first job for the New York Times and would land both Meredith and Altman on the front page on September 25, 2002. That photograph holds deep significance for Altman and Meredith and changed both their lives. Meredith is pictured dwarfed by an AUTO SALES sign suggesting icons, too, are working men who must make a living. The sign included Meredith’s phone number and made Meredith instantly relevant to the world after twenty years in near obscurity. Meredith said after the photo came out folks from around the world began to call him and invite him to speak. Meredith is the man who defied white supremacy in Mississippi, utilized the Supreme Court, the NAACP, and President Kennedy all to his advantage so he could attend the all-white University of Mississippi. Meredith is a larger-than-life icon and civil rights hero in Mississippi and beyond. The sixtieth anniversary of desegregation was celebrated in Mississippi in the fall of 2022 with numerous awards, speakers, and ceremonies. Altman’s photographs trace Mr. Meredith’s activism and draw on the nature of Southern storytelling itself. The rich dialogue and mentorship between photographer and subject can be felt through the intimacy of the images. Their decades-long friendship has allowed Altman to document Meredith in a very personal manner and show Meredith is more than Ole Miss. The exhibition illustrates several social history themes such as the controversy over civil rights sites and their memorialization. Altman places Meredith at Bryant’s Grocery in Money, Mississippi, the site of the Emmett Till case; with Black Lives Matter activists; and the George Floyd Memorial Square weeks after the tragic murder. Through poignant groupings we see Mr. Meredith’s continued activism and involvement with current events and our nation’s future. The works also trace his time at Ole Miss placing him in the very classroom where he once was a student. Altman, an astute activist in her own right, photographs Meredith in the Confederate Circle where a Confederate Statue once greeted students. The statue has now been removed to a less conspicuous place on campus. Altman’s tireless journeys documenting and filming Meredith are a living and breathing history lesson and are a precursor to a book that is currently in production. The book includes Altman’s photos and essays by historians, scholars, and authors Ralph W. Eubanks, Dave Tell, and Aram Goudsouzian and foreword by James Meredith.

Roadside Jesus- Cross Country Photo © Suzi Altman

7/26/2020 SELMA Alabama A horse drawn carriage from Watkins Funeral Home in Atlanta leads the flag draped casket of Civil Rights icon and Congressman John Lewis over the Edmund Pettus Bridge for the last time.The rose petals represent the blood shed from Bloody Sunday in 1965 where Lewis was beaten by police and ended up with a fractured skull. On the anniversary of President Lyndon Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act, Congressman John Lewis's casket is pulled by a horse drawn carriage across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma for the last time. The casket is headed to the State Capitol in Montgomery where he will lay in state and then will head to Washington DC and then to his final resting place in Atlanta Georgia. Photo© Suzi Altman

Love and Promises It’s all about the promise Reverend H.D. Dennis made Margaret and their love. Preacher asked Margaret to marry him and promised her if she did, he would build her a castle. He kept his promise. I met the Rev Dennis and Miss Margaret in 2001 and fell in love with them and their castle. Over the next decade I visited them regularly and they shared their wisdom with me. Their simple messages of God has no white church, he ain't got no black church-He got one church- And ALL are Welcome, and Treat Everyone Equally and with Love, are still relevant today and need to be shared with the world. I promised Miss Margaret on her death bed I would look after Preacher, and I promised Rev HD Dennis before he passed away I would look after his palace and church bus. I am keeping my promise today I am the executive Director of the Mississippi Folk Art Foundation and we are dedicated to preserving this outdoor folk art environment. Picture the difference if we all donated just $10 dollars we could save this Mississippi Treasure and keep it where it is in the Kings Community. Although the site is no longer open as a store and they have both since passed away, the Grocery still attracts visitors from around the world to experience Reverend Dennis' creation. The site, described as a "theological park" by vernacular art scholar Stephen Young, is crowded with signs, gates, towers, and other items created by Dennis. The Reverend was constantly making changes and modifications to the site, adding new signs, repainting items with new designs, and adding more details to existing structures. Since his passing the place is in decline and in dire need of restoration and preservation. We are a registered 501c3 and all donations may be tax deductible. If you prefer you can mail you donation to: Mississippi Folk Art Foundation P.O Box 5986 Brandon MS 39047-5986 And please make check payable to Mississippi Folk Art Foundation https://www.gofundme.com/SaveMargaretsGrocery click link below to learn why this site is so important http://www.soulsgrowndeep.org/artist/rev-herman-d-dennis

A Bible thumping anti abortion activist screams Bible versus at Abortion Freedom Fighters as they gather for A Day of Action Rally on the first day of Supreme Court oral arguments for Dobbs v Jackson’s Women’s Health Organization. The pro choice activist try and surround the anti abortion protester and cover him up with protest signs. 12/1/21 Jackson,MS. Abortion Freedom Fighters gather in downtown Jackson for A Day of Action Rally on the first day of oral arguments at the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court appeared prepared Wednesday to uphold a Mississippi law that would ban almost all abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, which would be a dramatic break from 50 years of rulings.The justices heard 90 minutes of oral arguments in the most direct challenge to Roe v. Wade in nearly three decades.The Supreme Court case Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization can possibly over turn Roe-v- Wade and make abortion illegal in the state of Mississippi and many others across America. Photo © Suzi Altman #abortion #right #pro #anti #mississippi #freedom #choice #supreme #court #history #roevwade #equality #religion #past #future #merica #america #news #bible #biblebelt #bibleverse #prochoice

May 29, 2020 Jackson, MS A small group of protestors for Black Lives Matter and ACAB gathered at the Mississippi State Capitol to protest the brutal murder of George Floyd by white police officers in Minnesota. The protestors did not want to speak to the press and chanted black lives matter, no justice no peace-and justice for George Floyd. A few were wearing masks that said "I can't breathe" and one protestor wore a shirt that said "unarmed civilian and a mask We can't Breathe". Some of the protestors carried signs with ACAB written on them it stands for All Cops Are Bad or Bastards. Protests broke out across America in defense of George Floyds killing in Minneapolis Minnesota by white police officers and police brutality in America. Photo ©Suzi Altman #racism #blm #georgefloyd #mississippi #minnesota #change #protest #acab #blacklivesmatter #minneapolis #chage #policebrutality #whitesupremacy #unarmedcivilian

I have photographed the Mississippi Delta for over a decade. Including the rich cultural heritage, the deep religious roots and the music the land produces. All images ©Suzi Altman

A 100 yr. old tradition of rural African American Baptisms on Moon Lake, in the Mississippi Delta held once a year in the same spot on the lake each year. (Photo© Suzi Altman)

This is only part of a 10 year archive of images of BB King made in a variety of locations. One of a kind, legendary blues guitarist and Mississippi native B.B. King tapes his oral history for his museum in Indianola Mississippi and a collection images of B.B. playing Lucille. Photo©Suzi Altman