By Andrew Adler
Community Editor
The singular life and accomplishments of the late Kentucky activist Suzy Post were celebrated Sept. 7 at the Trager Family JCC. Amy Shir — a Filson Historical Society Community History Fellow — led a 90-minute session aimed principally at young Jewish adults, many of whom were learning about Post for the first time.
“Community is an antidote to injustice,” Shir declared during her introductory remarks. “No one person can fight oppression alone. No one person can bring about systems change. But when we’re together and we have these values of creating a more just society, then things can happen, and things can change. Suzy is a great example of a person that did help get a lot of things done.”
Post, who died in early January 2019 at the age of 85, is best known for her tenure as president of the Kentucky Civil Liberties Union from 1969-1990, and later as head of Louisville’s Metropolitan Housing Coalition. She was a passionate advocate for the Equal Rights Amendment, Title IX, racially integrated public schools, and an equally passionate opponent of the Vietnam War.
After viewing a short film about Post’s life and work, participants were divided into two sections, each tasked with coming up with their own take on Post’s richly diverse career.
“Here are a few prompts for you to be thinking about,” Shir said. “What touched you about Suzy’s work? Was anything relatable to you? What topics are you interested or engaged in?”
And since the evening was part of JewishLou 502.0 — the Jewish Federation of Louisville’s ongoing effort to jumpstart young-adult Jewish involvement – Shir posed another key question: “How does your Judaism inform your interests and your engagement?”
“So, we’re going to take about 10 or15 minutes to do this exercise, and then we’re going to come back together and share and then we’re going to complete our evaluations. And on these evaluations, we’re going to also ask you about your interest in more events like this, or other venues that you’d like to recommend.”
Soon it was time to hear some thoughts.
“I was interested in learning about the desegregation of JCPS (Jefferson County Public Schools) and how instrumental she was in making that happen,” one attendee said. “But I also appreciate that she admitted that there were some flaws to the program. Because it did make it harder somewhat on Black kids, since they were being bussed very far outside of their” home neighborhoods. So yeah, it was tough for some kids.”
Other participants remarked at how Post defended the Ku Klux Klan’s right to free speech, and how the totality of her social-justice commitments exacted a heavy toll on her family.
Toward the end of the evening a facilitator observed: “As Jews we know it’s part of our identity, part of our obligation to pay attention and to do the work to seek out justice. So does your Jewish identity play a role in any of the work that you do in the community, or toward working toward justice?”
“I think the values of Judaism have encouraged me to look outside myself,” Shir’s daughter said, “and to look at how to help other people ask questions.” In other words, “Don’t be complacent.”
Amy Shir — a Filson Historical Society Community History Fellow — spoke about the late Kentucky activist Suzy Post Thursday night (Sept. 7, 2023) at the Trager Family JCC
Attendees watch a video narrative about the late Kentucky activist Suzy Post during a presentation Thursday night (Sept. 7) at the Trager Family JCC.
Some of the young adults attending Thursday night’s presentation at the Trager Family JCC about Kentucky Activist Suzy Post
Recent University of Louisville graduate Ciyerah Ric listening to Thursday night’s presentation at the Trager Family JCC about the late Kentucky activist Suzy Post
Miriam Shir, daughter of Filson Community History Fellow Amy Shir