The support Post got from the women around her
As Post looks back over her life, she credits the women surrounding her with enabling her to accomplish all that she did. She remembers a few specific people who offered counsel at particularly necessary times.
Citing this Excerpt
Oral History Interview with Suzanne Post, June 23, 2006. Interview U-0178. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007) in the Southern Oral History Program Collection, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Full Text of the Excerpt
I think if I
were you, I would want to know where I've gotten my support.
I have gotten my support from an incredible network of women, different
kinds of women, black women, white women, wealthy women, poor women,
just women who love me and who have been there for me and who I think
are absolutely essential to anyone who's involved in working
as an organizer, activist, or entrepreneur, whatever you want to call
me. I just don't think you can do this work without that.
- SARAH THUESEN:
-
Has that been a constant factor throughout your career or is it more so
since your husband died?
- SUZANNE POST:
-
No, it's been pretty constant, because he wasn't
particularly supportive for some of those years. But of course, for many
years he was. But I think just in doing the work I've done,
I've met such wonderful women that I wouldn't have
met if I hadn't been doing this work. And I have developed
relationships with them that have really stood me in good stead.
They're women I can call up and say, "Listen,
I've just written something to read at Anne
Braden's memorial service. Can I email it to you?"
So I emailed it to this friend and she cut it fifteen times.
She's totally no bullshit. And I said, "Good God,
leave me something, Jan." She said,
"You don't have more than twelve minutes."
I said, "Nobody told me that." You weren't
there, were you?
- SARAH THUESEN:
-
Uh uh.
- SUZANNE POST:
-
When I was finished and I got off the stage and I'm walking
down the aisle right past her, she says, "That was eighteen
minutes." I said, "But there was a pause, Jan, in
between. You have to make accommodation for that." So people
like that who have an expertise who can help me, people who
don't, people who know somebody, I mean every woman I know is
an amazing resource person for something or other. I don't
think I would have done as well, I know I wouldn't have done
as well as I have without that, not to mention how enriching of my life
it is. It's just the richest life. I think I'm one
of the luckiest people I know. I have been able to do work that I have
really cared passionately about. I've done it largely with
people I care passionately about. I've had a lot of fun in
doing it. I got great kids. It's been fabulous.
It's just been fabulous.