I’m Still Here Documenting James Meredith
1 images Created 28 Jan 2024
“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.
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.