Linda Sutton (00:00:00): And needless to say, I stay broke all the time because
there's a birthday every month and you know...Speaker 2 (00:00:04): Yeah, yeah.
Linda Sutton (00:00:05): ...and I'm trying to get them out of expecting
Christmas gifts you know.Speaker 2 (00:00:12): Yeah, okay.
Linda Sutton (00:00:14): I tell ya.
Speaker 2 (00:00:16): You know, we're actually... Let's see here. We are
rolling. So, you can go ahead.Speaker 3 (00:00:20): All right. Okay. Have, have Linda just say a few words,
just about anything, about how long she's had the house a little bit so I can get my sound a little bit.Linda Sutton (00:00:30): Gosh. I don't even know. Over 10 years. Let's see. 12
or 13 years I guess, something.Speaker 2 (00:00:37): Yeah.
Linda Sutton (00:00:38): Probably longer than that though.
Speaker 3 (00:00:39): All right.
Speaker 2 (00:00:41): I know parts of Konnoak, but I've never known this street.
It's nice and so quiet.Speaker 3 (00:00:44): Okay.
Speaker 2 (00:00:46): So, alrighty. Here we go. So, um, could you just state
your name and where you're from?Linda Sutton (00:00:57): Okay.
Speaker 3 (00:00:57): And, and we need an exact birthdate.
Linda Sutton (00:01:00): Okay.
Speaker 3 (00:01:01): For the bio.
Speaker 2 (00:01:03): Not necessarily in here.
Speaker 3 (00:01:04): No, we do. We need to know when she was born.
Speaker 2 (00:01:07): Okay, okay.
Linda Sutton (00:01:07): Okay. My name is Linda Sutton. I was born March 17,
1950, St. Patrick's Day, right here in Winston-Salem. This is my home.I grew up around my church,(00:01:27): which is Goler Memorial AME Zion Church on Patterson. So, I kind of
grew up in that area, where there were a lot of black-owned businesses, small businesses, before redevelopment came through (laughs). But yeah, I'm a home girl. I love Winston-Salem. You know, I've done a lot of traveling. I haven't been out of the country. I have a lot of family members that live out of the country in Rome and London and Canada. Yeah.Speaker 2 (00:02:03): You've got your traveling cut out for you.
Linda Sutton (00:02:05): And they, they, they want me to come, but you know, I
just don't have... I've never had that desire, you know. Maybe because I'm afraid of flying over water for so many hours (laughs).Speaker 2 (00:02:19): So, what street did you live on?
Linda Sutton (00:02:23): I was born over on Eighth Street, which is right behind
Brown Funeral Home on Patterson. And I really grew up there amongst all the tobacco factories, smelling tobacco. And I think that's why I have asthma today. We used to play when... I don't know if you remember when they used to have the DDT man that used to spray for bugs, would come down the street and spray. And we used to play in it because we didn't know any better (laughs). And then we moved into the housing developments in Boston for a few years. Um, and so you know, just back and forth different places. Went to a lot of the schools because then you would go to the school that was closest to where you lived. And so, you know, I got the experience of going to a lot of schools.(00:03:18): I went to Atkins High School. My... both of my older brothers used
to be, um, uh, the drum majors in the bands and so, so I got a lot of experience with football games and, and parades. And, uh, so we've really got a musical family. They, um, you know, I have brother. I have a brother and two nieces that sing now in Italy. Uh, they have a band. Um, my oldest brother, he's deceased now. He started one and you know, it gives me joy to watch their YouTube videos back in the day of them singing and performing and, and that gives me a lot of joy. So, so I don't worry too much about traveling. They come here, you know, sometimes, so.Speaker 2 (00:04:12): That's great. So, I mean, that area around Goler was the,
like black business district, right?Linda Sutton (00:04:21): Yeah. Yes, yes.
Speaker 2 (00:04:22): Um, and do you remember when 52 came through?
Linda Sutton (00:04:25): Not really, not really.
Speaker 2 (00:04:29): You don't remember? Yeah, okay.
Linda Sutton (00:04:30): Um, but I do remember, um, a lot of the activity, um,
that was happening with RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company and the Aluminum Plant, and you know, the old raggedy houses that we lived in. Everybody worked in Reynolds. If you had a family member that worked in Reynolds, you could get a job there, too. Um, and I remember we had people from South Carolina that would come up to work in the factories. And you know, I didn't know it at the time, but, you know, as I grew older, I realized, you know, why did we have neighbors that had a different sort of an accent? You know, because South Carolina had a sort of different accent than North Carolina. And, um, and we had neighbors that cooked rice every day. And it was something that they did. They cooked rice with every meal. And, you know, we didn't think about it at the time growing up. We just loved to go to their house and play with the kids and, you know. But it was, it was, it was a good time. I remember, uh, Smitty's Cafe. Uh, we had Spence's grocery store. We had the black funeral home, Robinson.(00:05:50): We had the black beauty college, La Mae, you know, and you know,
they had the barber shop. We had a lot of businesses back then. And I never really... I was so fortunate. When we were little, we really didn't pay much attention to being poor. You know, we come home from school and my grandmother had a warm morning stove and had a pot of pinto beans on it, almost every day (laughs). You know, we had a refrigerator that didn't have a freezer. So, the ice man would come down the street with blocks of ice. We had a television that did not have sound (laughs). You know, those llittle things. We had an outhouse. We didn't have a bathroom, right there behind Brown... Didn't have an indoor bathroom. You know, my grandkids... My kids and grandkids can't believe it when I tell them that. But we had in our backyard, we had a peach tree, a grapevine. Next door, we had two apple trees. We had a pecan chip tree and a cherry tree down the street. We were just, you know, we were just happy (laughs).(00:07:01): You know, we had all of that going for us. We didn't pay much
attention to, you know, my grandmother had chickens in the backyard and she'd go out on Saturday. We had chicken every Sunday. So Saturday, she said, "Okay, I'm getting ready to kill the chicken. Which way do you want me... Do you want me to chop the head off and watch the body run around?" Yeah. "Or do you want me to take the neck and ring it?" And my kids will say, "But our job was to pluck the feathers." You know, and it was amazing. We didn't think nothing of it. We thought it was fun. You know, I would be like, "I can't even stand to look at anything like that now (laughs). But we thought it was fun. It was just, it was amazing. I said, "Wow. The stories from when, oh, back in the day.Speaker 2 (00:07:49): It sounds like an idyllic childhood in a lot of ways.
Linda Sutton (00:07:52): Yes.
Speaker 2 (00:07:53): Yeah. Um, now can you give me examples of what race
relations were like? Did you... it sounds like it was very much an all Black neighborhood.Linda Sutton (00:08:06): Yes, it was definitely all Black neighborhood. Um, so
we... the only thing, we, that I can really remember in the neighborhood was the Chinese laundromat. There was a laundry of dry cleaners there. And that's the only thing I remember there. Up the street, there was a Big Bag grocery store up near Martin Luther King and Ninth Street up that way. But other than that, there weren't, you know, we didn't do... There was no mingling, you know. Schools were, you know, segregated, you know. So, there was nothing growing up, you know. So, I really didn't experience, uh, anything around race relations until after, um, high school, you know. Because high school is when you started paying attention. Even during high school, we, all of our football games and basketball games. You know, a lot of that were among the other Black schools, you know. And so up to about 70 when they integrated, you know, uh, we were basically in our neighborhoods, you know, you know, with people of the same race, so yeah.Speaker 2 (00:09:24): So, um, so, where did you go to college?
Linda Sutton (00:09:26): I didn't.
Speaker 2 (00:09:27): You didn't?
Linda Sutton (00:09:27): I didn't and people don't believe it and I say, "Well,
you know, if you grew up poor eating pinto beans sandwiches (laughs) or anything that you could find to eat." When I was offered a job, I took it and I stayed with it. When I was in my senior year in high school, um, BellSouth AT&T, they were going to all the high school classes, senior classes, talking about jobs at Southern Bell. And I was to be an operator, and I thought that was just amazing to be an operator. And I graduated from high school and I went and applied, and every... It took two weeks of training to get you ready for the job. And every two weeks, there was somebody Black coming in the door. Every two weeks, somebody else Black, every two. And I'm like, "What is going on?" Do, you know... There were already a lot of, you know, white people there. But we're trying... Why was every two weeks so, so... Come to find out, they were in court. They were made... They had been discriminated against hiring, uh, Blacks, so they were made to hire so many. And that's how I got on. And I enjoyed it so much, I stayed.(00:10:50): But while I was there, I got involved in the union and I loved my
union work. And so through the union, I was able to take a lot of training, you know. I would take classes at Forsyth Tech. I took a lot of classes at UNC Wilmington. I took, you know, I didn't go a four-year, but I was able to take a semester here, a class there, you know, elective there. And you know, and I, even Georgia, I went everywhere. I went to the Organizing Institute of Silver Spring, Maryland, you know. I went to, you know, just everywhere. And so I never did fully enroll in college per se, but, but I was able to get further education through the union, and then keep my job at the same time. So, I thought that was the best of both worlds (laughs).Speaker 2 (00:11:44): So, what, what sort of things... classes were you taking?
Linda Sutton (00:11:48): Oh, a lot of, uh, union classes. Um, Total Quality, you
know, with BellSouth and Telecommunications. I was on the bargaining team for the union contract for AT&T. And, you know, so I was able to... I took so much stuff. I took, uh, all kinds of computer training at, you know, Forsyth Tech, and just everywhere. Uh, race relations out of University of Georgia and Athens, and, you know, just different things like that.Speaker 2 (00:12:21): And you would have to go there? They didn't have...
Linda Sutton (00:12:21): Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Yes. I had to go there.
Speaker 2 (00:12:27): They didn't have zoom classes back then.
Linda Sutton (00:12:28): Oh, no, no, no, no, no. And so, but me working with the
union, I became, uh, first a job steward, then department rep. Then I was the secretary treasurer and vice president of the union and, but you know, I just didn't want to take on running for president. People tried, but I was "No. That's a little too much. I just want to stay right here because I'm a worker," you know. I prefer to be, to be really behind the scenes, but everybody thought... They used to call me the lawyer of BellSouth because I win so many cases for the employees. Even when employees were messing up, doing something wrong, you know, I was that good, you know (laughs). I saved a lot of jobs. I saved a lot of jobs with our employees. So, I love that work. Even went on to organize a union at US Airways. We an a campaign there for the reservationists, and we got the union in there.Speaker 2 (00:13:26): What union was it?
Linda Sutton (00:13:27): Uh, Communication Workers of America. And it was, it
was great. It was great.Speaker 2 (00:13:32): Can you tell some of the stories of issues that you had to handle?
Linda Sutton (00:13:38): Oh.
Speaker 2 (00:13:38): With BellSouth?
Linda Sutton (00:13:39): Well, you know, most of the employees got in trouble.
It was so strict. When you're working in departments, like Directory Assistance and Long Distance, you know, they always say, "Time is money," because you have so many seconds to look up a number and get that number, get that customer off the line, or put a call through and get them off the line. So, you know, you had this fast pace typing, getting calls through. It was just... And so a lot of people, uh, got in trouble because they couldn't make the time, the seconds. You know, some of them played around and did other things instead of doing the work, you know, um, or they stayed out of work. reported out of work too many times, you were late too many times. You know, got caught saying something that wasn't right to a customer.(00:14:39): ou know, just nothing real major, you know, but they were real
strict about the customer's always right. You need to get the customer off the phone as quick as you can because time is money, you know, and uh, you need to come to work, you know (laughs). And don't stay out. Don't be late. You know, they, they were very strict. When I say started working at BellSouth, they had, um, it was so amazing. We would be on a cord board, and everybody would be on high chairs lined up. And we will be plugging cords into the aux cord board. You know, uh, and working on weekends, holidays. My whole time at, uh, BellSouth, I worked on holidays. And it was really, when I had my kids, it was just, although we made double time and a half for working on the holiday, you know, I hated to leave them on Christmas, I'd have to get up early and, you know, play with the kids and then go to work and you know.(00:15:43): So, you know, I enjoyed it, you know. I had a lot of freedom because
of my work with the union, uh. So, um, you know, it was, it was different than when I first started, I'm telling you, because they only hired white, Catholic, single women in that position. Yes. And, uh, it was amazing. In the early days before I got there, the supervisors used to be on roller skates. They would be riding up and down on the skates behind all of us sitting on the chairs although I wasn't there then. But that's the way it was. It was single, Catholic, white women and it was just amazing.Speaker 2 (00:16:25): Are these are the operators or the union people?
Linda Sutton (00:16:25): Yes. The operators, yeah. The employees, yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:16:30): And then they had to hire Black, Black people as well?
Linda Sutton (00:16:32): Yes. Yes.
Speaker 2 (00:16:33): Black women?
Linda Sutton (00:16:35): And that's how I got in. Yeah, that's how I got in.
And, uh, I'll never forget the first check I brought home was sixty egiht dollars. Sixty eight dollars. But then, you know, I got into the union. I remember it was a couple of years after I'd been there. Nobody even mentioned the union to me. And I showed up to work and everybody was on the sidewalk with their picket signs. And they was trying to tell me, "Don't go in. You, we on strike. You can't." I'm like, "I just got this job (laughs). I'm not gonna chance losing this job because I love this job (laughs). I love this paycheck. No, no, I got family. I got my grandmama" (laughs), you know. I'm trying to take care of my grandmama (laughs). No, but they talked me into staying out. And I stayed out, you know. I didn't cross the picket line. And you know, when I found out I wasn't gonna get fired, oh I was ready, then. Oh, yes (laughs).Speaker 2 (00:17:42): So, um, how were race...
Speaker 3 (00:17:43): Uh, uh.
Speaker 2 (00:17:44): What?
Speaker 3 (00:17:44): Be careful not to... maybe sit a little over your hand is
waving... waving your hands on camera. That's good. That's good. Just beware of that.Linda Sutton (00:17:55): Okay, okay. Yeah, talk with my hands. I'm sorry.
Speaker 3 (00:17:57): No. It's her [crosstalking 00:17:59].
Linda Sutton (00:17:59): I do that a lot. Oh (laughs).
Speaker 2 (00:17:59): Um, so, how...
Speaker 3 (00:17:59): Hold on just one... okay, I'm sorry.
Speaker 2 (00:18:08): How was BellSouth in terms of... were you paid the same as
the white women?Linda Sutton (00:18:14): Oh, yeah. We had because of the union? Yeah, because of
the union. If we had not had a union contract, no telling. But because of the union, uh, we knew what everybody was making. And uh, you know, and we had, you know, you built up seniority. You know, so we had a contract that, you know, we had the benefits. We knew what every-. We know what people were getting paid for overtime. You know, all of that, you know. So, because of that union contract.Speaker 2 (00:18:49): It must have been one of very few unions in Winston-Salem.
Linda Sutton (00:18:53): Well, you know, even RJ Reynolds had the union back in
the 40s. In the 40s.Speaker 2 (00:19:00): [crosstalking 00:19:00] 22.
Linda Sutton (00:19:00): Yeah, yeah. But yeah, there wasn't, uh many. Um, the
Piedmont Airlines had a union. We worked a lot with the International Association of Aerospace Workers, I believe is what they they were called. And, um there was somebody else. The Teamsters, um, but there weren't that many. The Teamsters were out of Greensboro, but they had a few, you know, union members through the bus sta-, bus company and stuff. So yeah, yeah, but...Speaker 2 (00:19:31): Was Safe Bus unionized?
Linda Sutton (00:19:33): Yeah, they had, um... I don't think they were
unionized, but uh there were some transportation workers somewhere and I can't remember who. They were transportation workers, but I can't remember what company they were with. But I know The Teamsters was the union. And, um, I can't remember who that is now, but there were several because I, um... After I got involved with the union, I, um, started, um getting involved with they A. Philip Randolph Institute and I became the president of that organization. And A. Philip Randolph Institute for the Sleeping Car Porters, uh, union. Uh, we came together, several of the union workers in Winston-Salem, different unions came together and worked through the A. Philip Randolph Institute. So, it wasn't a lot, um, but there were several other unions that, that we worked alongside.Speaker 2 (00:20:40): What was the work you did with the A. Phillip Randolph?
Linda Sutton (00:20:40): Well, we mostly, mostly did a lot of voter registration
(laughs) and education work. Um, that was one of my pet peeves, you know, uh but, and educating people about union rights. And you know, we supported each other if there was a strike. Oh, was it, um United Parcel Service? One of those had the Transport Workers, I think, through Teamsters because we worked with them. I remember when they were on strike, and we went and help them on their strike (laughs). And, yeah, so you know, we did a lot of voter registration education. We worked with the AF-, with the AFL-CIO, the labor unions, and um, we did a lot of work with them. The state AFL-CIO, too, so.Speaker 2 (00:21:31): So, it sounds like union work really led you to become an activist.
Linda Sutton (00:21:39): Oh, yes. Yes. That was... In fact, I wanted to make a
career out of it (laughs). Oh, but....Speaker 2 (00:21:47): The union..
Linda Sutton (00:21:47): Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:21:48): When the union was over?
Linda Sutton (00:21:49): Oh, yeah. Yeah. When I went to the, uh, Carolina Labor
School at Wilmington... Every summer, we went to Labor School. And then when I went to Silver Springs, Maryland, I was sure that's what I wanted to do (laughs) for the rest of my life, you know.Speaker 2 (00:22:07): We've been there. The Labor College?
Linda Sutton (00:22:10): Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:22:11): I remember...we [crosstalking 00:22:12]
Linda Sutton (00:22:12): Yeah. Yeah. So, um, you know, it was okay. Then I went
to uh, what was the last one that really got me into community organizing? It was, um, let me see. It was the one that, Saul, oh um, Saul Alinsky did founded... Let me see. What is the name of that? Dog, I can't even remember now. I have to look at my bio. My, my long bio (laughs), that has everything I've almost done in my whole life. And uh, what year I did it, you know, when I went to take classes and awards and organizations I've been involved with and participate. You know, if I didn't write it down, I'd never remembered it by no because it's so much. And um, somebody took it and put it out there on the web, my whole life story, the whole thing.(00:23:13): But you know, it's okay. Because I had all of my church, uh,
information, everything I had done in the church, and, you know, through other organizations I've been part of, so it's pretty long. Um so, you know, I, I stayed there, uh because I love the union work there. But then when I said to myself, "Well, okay, I don't think you want to be, you know, a union organizer," because it wasn't such an easy job trying to organize those reservations (laughs) at US Airways. Uh, but I stayed there because I'd been so many years working there. I just, you know, I said, Well, you know, a few more years, you can retire." No sense in leaving now. So, so I stayed, and I'm glad I stayed.Speaker 2 (00:24:05): So, how long were you at BellSouth?
Linda Sutton (00:24:06): 31 years, almost 32 years.
Speaker 2 (00:24:11): So, when, when did, when did you retire?
Linda Sutton (00:24:13): Oh, God. When did I retire? In 2000. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:24:20): And I'm curious about what it was like registering voters?
What, what years were you doing that?Linda Sutton (00:24:26): Well, when I first started registering voters, um, you
had to be certified by the Board of Elections, and you were called Special Voter Registration Commissioners. So, and I've been meaning to look up the year that that changed, because, um, there was a federal law and I've been meaning to look that up. I thought about that a couple of weeks ago and forgot, where, um, anybody could register voters. You know, anybody could take a form and you know, but when I got started, nobody could do that. You had to be certified by the board of elections to do that.Speaker 2 (00:25:06): It sounds, it doesn't sound like a bad idea in principal?
Linda Sutton (00:25:10): Right, right.
Speaker 2 (00:25:10): You know, I've registered voter and I never had any
training other than "Here, make sure you get everything [crosstalking 00:25:17].Linda Sutton (00:25:17): Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. It's really nothing to it, except
that when they, when the General Assembly might change the law, you know. Like, they changed the form when... When I first started, the voter registration form was was about what? 8 1/2 x 14? And now it's a regular 8 1/2 x 11. And so that means they shrink the information on it. So, it's so tiny, but they've added and taken out things like they've added a spot for like your email address, and if you want to volunteer and all that kind of... So, they do change them, you know, from time to time, so.Speaker 2 (00:25:58): Um, was, I assume you were registering Black people,
people of color?Linda Sutton (00:26:05): Well, through A. Philip Randolph, we registered everybody.
Speaker 2 (00:26:09): Okay.
Linda Sutton (00:26:10): Because we would register people on our job.
Speaker 2 (00:26:12): Mm-hmm.
Linda Sutton (00:26:12): And that was everybody.
Speaker 2 (00:26:14): Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Linda Sutton (00:26:14): Yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:26:15): Okay. Was there any, ever any challenges or problems
around voter... registering voters?Linda Sutton (00:26:22): No, the only challenge was convincing them to do it
(laughs). Convincing them to register. Yeah.Speaker 2 (00:26:29): So, what years were you doing this?
Linda Sutton (00:26:31): Oh, God. Let me see. I tell you, if I'm not looking at
uh (laughs). Um so, I probably started, let's see, in the 70s. Uh, the late 70s was when I really got started good.Speaker 2 (00:26:45): Okay.
Linda Sutton (00:26:46): You know, registering voters.
Speaker 2 (00:26:48): So, there weren't the problems that they had in the 60s?
Linda Sutton (00:26:50): Oh, no, no, no. Oh, no, no, no, no, no.
Speaker 2 (00:26:53): Well, how would you describe your role in the civil rights movement?
Linda Sutton (00:26:57): Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2 (00:26:58): How did you get started?
Linda Sutton (00:26:59): Well, you know, and I don't know if it's, I would
categorize it as um, I guess voting rights is a civil rights issue. But I, I kind of separated to, voting rights is really where my heart is and, uh, that's what I really love. And it is a civil right, per se, you know, so. So, even back then, um, when I realized that through a union, you could better your life, your situation, your benefits, your health insurance, your working conditions, you know, over time. And, you know, when I realized that, you know, I was able to get all of that through union organizing, and people coming together, and becoming a force and demanding what we want. We want better work conditions or we're going to picket (laughs), we going to go out-, you know. So when I realized the power of people coming together and standing together, it just resonated so much with me. But then, after my voter registration career, I mean, people everywhere, would they... right now they call me "There go the voting lady. There go the voting lady."(00:28:29): They don't know my name, but they know I'm the voting lady because
they're so used to me, seeing me, uh pull out a card table in front of Food Lion store, anywhere during voter registration, you know. But, you know, I've always felt that if the people we elect are making laws that affect us, that govern our lives, how much we pay for anything, insurance, you know. I tell people "from the cradle to the grave" because they, somebody made a law or policy that affected you when you were born, what they had to do with you in the hospital, what protocols they had to take to put a band on you to, to take your footprint.(00:29:17): Somebody made a law or a policy governing that and it is people that
we elect are actually doing it. They are making the law or appointing somebody to do policy, all the way up until when you die. How deep you're gonna be buried? You can't bury your person in the backyard, you know, but anyway (laughs), I was getting ready to go to the burial at the golf course (laughs). But uh, uh yeah, um but, um you know, but everything from birth to death, and everything in between, uh, from You know, how much you pay, you know, for your car insurance, your, your electric bill, your gas bill, having your car inspected, you know, how much you pay for prescription drugs, just everything. You know, food, what about the regulations of prescription medication and they have recalls on on food and, and medicine all the time. And to me, that's a serious thing.(00:30:28): You know, you eat something for so long, and then you find out,
"Okay, they're recalling this," you know. Just like they recall automobiles because of safety issues, you know, so um. So, that's why I, you know, I've continued to do voter registration, why I love it, but educating people as to why you need to get registered and vote, and that your vote, uh, actually could help your situation if you're electing good people who care about the people, and the wellbeing of the people, you know. So um, you know, can't solve everything, um. I know that um, Ari Berman used to say that, um, voting rights make all other rights possible. In a way, you know, voting rights can't change a person's heart, you know, stop a person from being racist, or that kind of stuff. But it can, uh, you know, make laws and policies that protect people, you know, against things like that. But, but I do agree that, uh, you know, if you were able to have free and fair elections, and elect good people, and people don't go astray, we could have policies to help families and help children and help the poor and, you know, help seniors and, and so we won't have to be worried about paying into Social Security and Medicare out of our paychecks all our lives.(00:32:06): But then when you become elderly, they're talking about trying to
take it away, you know. So, so, you know, that's why I stay in it. You know, all my kids, grandkids, great grandkids, I really don't want them to have, to have to continue to fight like this. At some point, some things need to be settled, you know, and I guess, you know, because I tell my missionary group all the time, you know, that God knew that man was so sinful, and that man was greedy, you know, that all people don't have good intentions, you know. God knew that He was going to need some hands and some feet down here on earth because He's gonna have to have some help because people, man is actually just sinful. You know, and I guess that's the nature of man. The Bible says we're all sinners, you know. Some of us through other things, but some through thoughts, through, you know, words, you know, and deeds, of course. Uh, and so I tell my missionary group, "That's why He made missionaries. You're the ones that He's called to go out there and help feed the hungry and clothe the naked, you know, and take care of the imprisoned." I say, "That's your, that's your calling, missionaries. So, you're the perfect group." So, I have a nice missionary group at church, that uh...Speaker 2 (00:33:42): So yeah. It sounds, it sounds really, like a really
powerful supportive group.Linda Sutton (00:33:50): Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2 (00:33:50): Yeah, you're talking about feeding the hungry, caring for
the sick. Makes me think of the Black Panthers in Winston-Salem.Linda Sutton (00:33:56): Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2 (00:33:56): Were you involved or did you know people who were involved?
Linda Sutton (00:34:02): No, I did, I did know people. Um, there was a Black
Panther house, wasn't too far from where I lived in, uh, East Winston. And I remembered, they used to have some type of classes, and I can't even remember what they were, but I went up there one time to a class. I remember when they had an ambulance service, you know, but I had never used it or knew anybody, but I knew later that they had an ambulance service, uh, because they used to say, we'd hear the rumors that it would take the city ambulance too long to come to the Black community if something was happening, you know. And uh, but yeah, I remember, um. I remember them. And then they were just gone. You know? So, yeah.Speaker 2 (00:34:52): Yeah. How long were they actually there?
Linda Sutton (00:34:54): Yeah, I knew some of those. Larry Little, he was
involved. Nelson Malloy, because Nelson Malloy had traveled out of town, uh and he was shot, I believe, and he ended up in a wheelchair.Speaker 2 (00:35:12): He was my council member way back when.
Linda Sutton (00:35:14): Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (00:35:16): Hold on just one second. It's great stuff. I just want, I
gotta make one change here.Speaker 2 (00:35:23): In terms of what you might call the civil rights movement
in Winston-Salem, how would you say you were involved?Linda Sutton (00:35:30): Mm-hmm. Other than, um, doing my voter registration
work, that was mostly it.Speaker 2 (00:35:40): Yeah.
Linda Sutton (00:35:42): You know, I, uh, you know, I supported things that were
happening, like, you know, we had a big riot in Winston-Salem, you know (laughs), and you know we, as younger folks, high school students, and you know, in early 20s, you know, we, we supported that we had a lot of, um, businesses that would come into the black community. Uh, and they would put signs in the windows that says, "Soul Brother," and that will let the people in the Black community know, that, you know, "I'm a friend of yours, so please, don't (laughs), please don't throw bricks through my window." And uh, it was just amazing to see that, you know, when you had, uh like, the Chinese person or, you know, white-owned store that would come into Black community and have a shop, you know. And to protect themselves, they would put the sign that said "Soul Brother." I'll never forget that. You know, to let us know, you know, they were friends, you know, and uh, you know. But when, you know, tempers are high, you know, people get angry. Now, I remember that when um, when Kennedy was killed, and MLK was killed, you know. It was a lot of people and stuff, so.Speaker 2 (00:37:06): Do you remember the Winston-Salem, uh, Woolworth sit-in?
Linda Sutton (00:37:12): No.
Speaker 2 (00:37:12): Cause you were probably 13, little.
Linda Sutton (00:37:12): No, I don't. Right.
Speaker 2 (00:37:12): And probably isolated from that.
Linda Sutton (00:37:13): No, no.
Speaker 2 (00:37:20): No?
Linda Sutton (00:37:22): No. But uh, but actually, uh, Dr. CB Hauser and, you
know, you had, you know, I knew about it later when we had, uh, Wake Forest students and Winston-Salem students involved. And it was actually the first. It was before Greensboro, you know, but Greensboro got the jump and started the museum. But the actual first one was here in Winston-Salem.Speaker 2 (00:38:00): Did Greensboro, uh, you know, solve the... Woolworth in
Greensboro accepted sooner?Linda Sutton (00:38:03): Yeah, they finally were able, you know, for the sit-in.
Speaker 2 (00:38:03): Sooner? Yeah.
Linda Sutton (00:38:06): Yeah, but you know, I don't, I don't remember the year.
But I know that once Winston-Salem, their sit-in movement came before Greensboro's. You know, but um, you know, Larry Womble, used to tell us all the time before he passed, that you know, we really, you know, if we'd been thinking, we could have done something and built something, you know, off of that. We do have a little marker downtown (laughs). You know, but, but that was about it. There's been some talk, used to be years ago, about, you know, trying to start a little museum or something, you know, but that never got off the ground. But since Greensboro became the international, it's been so popular and they're getting ready to expand. I think they bought the building next door and they're going to expand and it was, it's a nice place. So, it's a wonderful place, you know, but we were first (laughs).Speaker 2 (00:39:09): That's right, that's right. Um, let's see. Have you ever
gotten arrested as part of your activism?Linda Sutton (00:39:17): Yeah (laughs).
Speaker 2 (00:39:19): How many times?
Linda Sutton (00:39:21): Once, once, once. Just once. Um, and that's when we
were doing all the Moral Monday events. And I, um, I decided to get arrested on the day that we did voting rights (laughs). Me and Kim, I think Kim was with me and I don't remember who else, um Reverend Joyner. But we all decided we were gonna get arrested on Voting Rights Day (laughs). And it was, um, it was, it was...We had fun. The jailer said to us, "We have never seen anybody have this much fun getting arrested." We had (laughs), we had so much fun. And you know, uh, singing songs, that high spirit, and the plastic cuffs were behind. And everybody was saying, "Oh, I can't stand it. This is hurting. My hands are getting numb." And we talked them into putting the cuffs around the front.(00:40:20): Well, when they loaded everybody on the bus with the cuffs around
the front, we easily took them off. Everybody took off the handcuffs and we were waving out the bus window, "Free at last (laughs). Free at last." By the time we got to the jail, we had to put them back one. But we had so much fun. They said, "We ain't never seen people get arrested and have this much fun in their life." So, it was, it was great, you know. So, I just had to do a little couple hours of community service work, but you know, it was nothing to it because that's what I did, you know. This voter registration, that's community service work. But, uh yeah. So, uh yeah, that was it. I did that one time. I was like, "Uh, I don't think I'm gonna get arrested every time," you know. Reverend Barber and some of them, they kept on getting arrested. I, "No, that's, I can't do that." Uh huh (laughs).Speaker 2 (00:41:16): What was your motivation for doing that? We were arrested, too.
Linda Sutton (00:41:21): Yeah, yeah. Yeah, it was, you know, just that, just the
importance of voting rights because that's what I've always, um, loved to do, educate people about voting rights and get people participating in the system. You know, so um, you know, they were, you know, after, oh mercy, after the 2010 census, everything went crazy. And so, we had a lot of uh, anti-voter anti-democracy, legislation and bills, and, you know. And uh, so it was making it harder for people to, to register and to vote, you know. So, I felt if I'm gonna get arrested for something, voting rights is gonna be it (laughs).Speaker 2 (00:42:11): So, how long have you worked with Democracy NC?
Linda Sutton (00:42:15): Oh, about 13 years coming up. And in fact, they just
gave me an award the other day. Um, their first award they have ever given out. And this is their 30th year. And it was called, uh, For the People Award. So, I've been there 13 years. So um, we had an open house, uh Thursday, last Thursday, and they presented me with that award. I was like, "Really? The first award you've ever given out after 30 years (laughs)? Yeah, uh, but you know, I was doing this work in, uh, Winston-Salem. I started the Winston-Salem Voting Rights Coalition. And um, you know, we had, originally I was with the Black Leadership Roundtable, which was uh, formed by Larry Womble and Khalil Greggs, and, you know, several people there. And then I became chair of the Black Leadership Roundtable.(00:43:22): And I started doing all the work myself, and I'm like, "Wait, now,
I'm more interested in voting rights." You know, I understand, you know, I'm working on keeping the, the black cemetery opening, you know, working on different things. But this is what, this is where my heart is, in voting rights. And that's what I wanted to do. You know, so. So um, so we, I passed off the Black Leadership Roundtable to some others. And that's when I formed the Winston Salem Voting Rights Coalition, specifically, to work in my passion on the voting rights. And so um...Speaker 2 (00:44:00): What year was that?
Linda Sutton (00:44:01): Oh, God. I told you if, if I don't have (laughs), if I
don't have my, my bio, I can't tell you. Let's see. So, um, oh, God, I don't know. Um, it's been a long time. It's been a long time. Um, you can find it (laughs). And so, uh, we started doing a lot of voter registration. It was at the time when we were advocating for 16, 17 year old pre-registration. Um, and after we got that passed, you know, I used to travel to the Social Studies Conferences, uh, training Social Studies teachers about registering their students. And, you know, we go into schools, different high schools across the state, you know, setting up voter registration drives and, you know, that was just, that was my pet peeve. You know (laughs), that's what I love doing, you know, I've really been, really devastated over the last couple of years because I haven't been able to get out, you know. I could, but I'm afraid to get out, you know, because of COVID.(00:45:10): And, and it's really, you know, stifled me. And I'm like, you know,
you're letting the people down, you know. There's so much anti-voter stuff going on, you know, and you really need to be out there. And it was really, really tearing me apart. So, I said, "Well, you know, I have to bring in some of the younger kids who are not afraid," especially during the um, you know, when George Floyd was killed, and all, you know, Black Lives Matter rose up, and people were having marches and stuff, you know. And I, I used to tell them, you know, it's okay to march and protest against an injustice. But you march in protest now, but you ready for November, and you vote because you really, if you think about it, you vote for your city council, who hires your city manager, that trains vets in charge of police.(00:46:13): You vote for your sheriff, you vote for your school board, you know.
If you would translate what's happening in your life to your vote, if you can connect that, you know, uh, I think people understand it more. Because for years when I first got started, you know, I just registered people to vote and that's it, you know, just reg-, you know. But throughout the years, you realize you've got to educate them about why and how it affects what's happening in your life. And once they get that, once they understand that you vote for the insurance commissioner, who is setting rates over your insurance. Once you understand that, you know.Speaker 2 (00:47:04): And, like you say, local officials, people who provide
local services, like the, the sheriff and, the, uh the mayor and city council members. Those directly impact lives and people are like, "I just vote for the president."Linda Sutton (00:47:16): That's right. That's right.
Speaker 2 (00:47:21): [crosstalking 00:47:21] has to go down. We want them to
understand that the whole ticket is important.Linda Sutton (00:47:21): And I remember when, yeah, when I first got started, I
would never vote for judges. I had no idea who these people were (laughs). I knew they were judges, but that was it. You know, um, but a lot of times I skipped that. I wouldn't even vote for judges, you know. Um, but trying to educate people how important that is, and let them see actual cases, you know, that affects everything, then you know. And that's, that's the most important part of working in voting rights. You've got to explain why, why your vote is important and how it affects, you know, everything that happens, so yeah.Speaker 2 (00:48:08): Um, so, with all the gerrymandering and what's going on now...
Linda Sutton (00:48:20): Sad.
Speaker 2 (00:48:20): How would you say this relates in terms of severity
challenges compared to past decades or past years?Linda Sutton (00:48:31): It's, oh, it's bad. It's bad. We were able to uh...
That's why I said that the 2010 census was a turning point in North Carolina. Because we were able to get some good pieces of legislation that improved voting rights, you know. Um, just like your 16, 17 year old uh, you know. We had a lot of laws that governed, uh, big money in politics, and, you know, you know, we had to check off, you can check off $3 on your federal taxes, you know, to help guard against, you know, all of these suitcases coming in, you know, buying our elected officials. Uh, and so we had some good policies that, that we were able to, uh, get through and get put on the books. But then after 2010 census, and the gerrymandering, after 2013 we had this monster law, we'd call it a monster bill because it, it took away like, um, it took away straight ticket voting and, and it, it opened up more money in the politics and it was just, just a lot. Uh, Citizens United passed. That was devastating.(00:49:49): And just after 2010, it's just seems like the floodgates opened up,
and it's been an attack ever since on voting rights. And the gerrymandering is the way, you know. If they can gerrymander the districts to make sure that, you know, certain people stay in office, and they write the laws and control everything, you know, it's harder for peop-... But I keep telling people why I'm so, so, um so passionate about voting rights. Because I know that if the majority of the people, if the people would just get out and vote, we could change it, even in a gerrymandered district. But they know that so many people just don't vote. We just don't vote in this country.(00:50:39): And it's sad. And when you don't vote, one of my other favorite
sayings is, "Evil flourishes when good people do nothing." When you don't vote, then the ones that get in control. Okay, so. But we can do something about it. We can change it, if we can get enough people to actually go out and vote. But it's a challenge. We just won't. Uh, I know that in the 2020 election, uh, everybody was talking about, "Oh, black women got this power and we can control... We can we can make the difference, you know, because we are the top voting demographic." And we had over 200,000 Black women who are eligible to vote in 2020 that did not vote. And I couldn't... I'm thinking to myself, what went wrong?Speaker 2 (00:51:35): Is that statewide?
Linda Sutton (00:51:35): Yes, statewide. What went wrong? What happened? You
know, you were eligible, but you didn't, you know. And so, uh, all the... Of course, all your records are public and uh, I got the list from every county (laughs), in the state, uh, just to take a look at, you know, who we had, how many people we had in Forsyth County, Guilford County area. You know, and this is just amazing. You know, that you work so hard for so long. And, you know, and it seems like, What happened? Is it not making a difference to people? Are they afraid? They just...Do they think that it just don't matter anymore? That, you know, people have got the system sewed up where it doesn't matter what you do, you know, they're gonna win. But you can't look at it like that. You have to continue to fight and continue to vote. And you have to bring other people with you. It just, you know... I tell people all the time when I win all these awards from everybody. "No, it wasn't just me. It was my mouth, trying to talk to other people, to bring them in, and let them, you know, come out here and help me do this. Come talk to other people."(00:52:56): And that's what it's going to take. It's going to take people
talking to other people, getting them involved and bringing others involved. Talk to your family, your friends. I threaten my family all the time. If you don't vote, I'm coming after you. Don't, don't ask me to Cash App you no money if you don't vote and I'm gonna be checking to see if you voted, too. So, I do my family like that. I...Speaker 2 (00:53:19): You can.
Linda Sutton (00:53:20): Oh, yes. And I do. Look, I remember I had a pastor one
time. He said, Sister Linda, I want to make sure everybody in this church is registered to vote. I said, "Oh, yeah, Pastor. You know I love voter registration. Yeah, I'm gonna do that." I used to set up my little table after church in the vestibule every Sunday. They walk right out the church when the church... They didn't stop by. I'm like, "Why am I wasting my time doing this? Let me get this church roster."Speaker 2 (00:53:51): You should get doughnuts.
Linda Sutton (00:53:52): Hmm?
Speaker 2 (00:53:52): You should get doughnuts.
Linda Sutton (00:53:53): Oh, yeah. Right (laughs). Right. Right. Uh and, and
yeah, we learned that little trick, too. But you know, I got the roster, the church membership directory. And I just put them in the voter lookup, to look up everybody, see who's registered and who's not. So, I got up the next Sunday and I said, "You know, the pastor asked me to make sure that was registered to vote, right?" I said, "So, I want you to take out your phones and we're gonna do a little exercise. And I want you to put in uh, ncvoter.org or put in SBE, the lookup, you know, and just put your name in there and see what information, you know.. They didn't even know anything about it. I said, "Now go home and look up your family members. Look up your husband, look up your wife and look up your best friend." You know, when they realized that is public information, and I could see who's registered or not, honey, everybody came. "You know, I think I moved and I didn't change my registration." Because they knew I could I look it up, you know. So, that was a little little bribery there, but, but it worked (laughs).Speaker 2 (00:55:09): It's a good tactic. Yeah. So, down memory lane, you were
talking about the power of Black women. Um, well, first of all, when we were arrested, probably with you, Reverend Barber, um, Earline Parmon, waited outside the jail to take every single person... Look at me. I'm getting all teary-eyed when I think of the two of them.Linda Sutton (00:55:34): I know. I know.
Speaker 2 (00:55:35): And, yeah, yeah, yeah. [inaudible 00:55:39].
Linda Sutton (00:55:39): Yes.
Speaker 2 (00:55:39): But, I remember...
Linda Sutton (00:55:39): I've got to find my shirt. Did you get a shirt that
says "I was arrested?"Speaker 2 (00:55:39): Yes.
Linda Sutton (00:55:39): Yeah, I gotta found my shirt (laughs).
Speaker 2 (00:55:46): I gotta find mine, too. Yes. Um, I remember at the
dedication of the Local 22 Marker.Linda Sutton (00:55:58): Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2 (00:55:58): How long was it? 10 years ago?
Linda Sutton (00:55:58): Oh, yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:55:58): Awhile ago.
Linda Sutton (00:55:58): Had to be, yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:55:59): I remember Earline spoke about the role of women of her
mother's generation.Linda Sutton (00:56:06): Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2 (00:56:06): And fighting for that gener- that, that, um, that union.
Linda Sutton (00:56:12): Yeah, with Velma Hopkins.
Speaker 2 (00:56:14): And how...
Linda Sutton (00:56:14): Yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:56:14): And how it seemed like there were a generation of women
before us who really inspired and set up almost a dynasty of women who, you know, stood up and were influential in, you know, community and, you know, workers' rights and, and justice issues.Linda Sutton (00:56:38): Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like Virginia Newell and I mean, you
know... When I came, you know, I was just so impressed when I first met Earline Parmon because, you know, she was just out there. I was like, "Wow, this woman is something else." I remember riding around with her. We would go up into Cleveland Avenue homes and we'd be knocking on doors. And we'd have a car behind the van. And we'd be dragging people. We call it "knock and drag." We knock on the door, we take them out right then and take them to the polls. And you know, she was no nonsense. "No, you going. You going down there to vote." (Laughs) And uh, those were some good days too though, you know.Speaker 2 (00:57:29): Can you describe the various roles Earline had in the community?
Linda Sutton (00:57:33): Whew, wow.
Speaker 2 (00:57:35): Yeah.
Linda Sutton (00:57:35): Earline has done so much. I mean, really. You know she
had the school on 311 for kids who were expelled, you know, from regular school. And, I mean, she's, oh, she's worked, oh. She adopted kids herself. I mean, she's, some of everything. I mean...Speaker 2 (00:57:53): Was that... that was experiment for self-reliance?
Linda Sutton (00:57:56): No, no, it was, um, you would ask me. I'll think about
the name of it about three o'clock in the morning when I'm laying in the bed (laughs). Uh, but uh, yeah, she, uh, she started that and she's done so much. She did a lot of voter registration education stuff, you know. Helping get the vote out, you know. Uh, advocating for bills at the general assembly and stuff when she was there with Larry and it was just, you know, just done so much, her and it's so many of them. I remember she introduced me to Velma Hopkins. I was just in awe. I mean, this is the woman that spearheaded organizing the union in Reynolds. I was just, I was just amazed, you know. And it just, it just touched me. So, Earline is the one that really, because she said, "I'm gonna take you somewhere."(00:58:54): "Where, where we going?"
(00:58:55): "I'm gonna take you and let you meet somebody." Because she knew I
loved voter registration. Honey, she took me to Velma's house. I was just so impressed, I tell ya. I was so glad she did that. I actually got to meet Velma. But yeah, we had some strong Black women in this community that did a lot of good work. And um, I'm hoping, uh one day we'll be able to continue that legacy. Um, there's so much that's going on that people go astray. They don't, uh, they don't stay true to, um, to their calling, what they should be doing. And a lot of people are weak and they get, you know, they get distracted, distracted by money, distracted by all types of things.(00:59:55): So, you know, but uh yeah, Winston-Salem had... And, and not only
the Black women because, you know, we had some strong Black men, uh, you know. When Larry and, and Nelson was on city council, and uh Larry Little and then Larry Womble and all his position, and Velma. I mean, we had you know, and Vivian Burke. We've had a lot of people, uh, that have, you know, through Winston-Salem, have been in, in good leadership positions. Uh, Carl Russell and, um, Kenneth R. Williams from back in the day, from longtime ago before me. You know, um, that we're making their mark in this city, you know. So um, we've had a lot of good leaders, a lot of good leaders.Speaker 2 (01:00:47): Can you... I know you say a lot of people are distracted
or just yeah, young people are just not embracing the cause, but do you see any signs of hope in terms of young people getting involved in activism and civil rights?Linda Sutton (01:01:05): I'm always hopeful. Um, right now, I really want to
focus on our future leaders. I think there's a lot of hope in those millennials, um, and that's who I want to work with and I work with them every summer. Uh, we have an internship program, uh and we take college students.Speaker 2 (01:01:30): That's through Democracy NC?
Linda Sutton (01:01:31): Uh huh.
Speaker 2 (01:01:31): Yeah.
Linda Sutton (01:01:32): And we take college students and teach them about civic
engagement and, you know, the whole democracy work. Um, and that's, that's where my hope is, you know. I tell them every summer, I say, "Okay, now. You gonna be the future leader. I want you to make sure you save my Social Security, okay (laughs)." So, you know, I told them, I said, "Look, it's in your hands now. I've worked as, as hard and as long as I can. It's up to you now. So, we need you to take this mantle. You need to take the torch and move it forward and do this work. Every generation has to keep doing it. We're gonna have to keep it going. And so, yeah, there is hope. I always have hope. And I'm more hopeful in our, our millennials, our younger folks, you know. We have some that some leaders that um, you know, I guess they've been in this game, they call it a game, so long, you know, um.(01:02:33): You know, it saddens me to think that people would really, they
still think about themselves before they think about the community. You know, I know we're supposed to be thinking about ourselves and our family and take care, but don't work on behalf of the community and don't work for the community. You know, and so um, that really troubles me. And I try not to make enemies of people. I try to be nice and respectful and not go off like I really want to, you know. Hopefully, I can kill them with kindness and get them to see the, the error of their ways (laughs). But a lot of times, it's just something how, how money and power changes people. And not just, you know, local with a little bit of money, that's a little bit, but even powerful people. Money, and power and greed is something to deal with. Even, even within the church, you know. Uh, it's something about money and power that just takes over people if you're not strong, as strong-willed. And people ask me all the time.(01:03:49): They say, "You know, why you choose to live here?" You know, well,
you know, I've lived a lot of places. I probably could have had a big house in Clemmons or somewhere, but I'm comfortable. I don't need anything else. You know, I'm happy. You know, I spend my time trying to help other people. Every penny I get, I try to help everybody I can. Um, my family members, my church members, you know. I give money to all the causes, you know. Everything, housing, justice, NASA. You just name it and I'm going to give it (laughs), you know. So, you know, I don't, I don't need a lot. I don't, I guess I don't value having two-car garages and brand new cars and you know. I, you know, I just don't, you know. You know, I, I think it's nice to, you know, some people if they, if that makes them happy (laughs), but that don't make me happy, you know. What makes me happy is that I can, I can help change somebody's life in a way that they can maneuver this thing called life better.(01:05:03): They can understand how you work on, on not only your behalf, but
the people around you to make your community better. My neighbors next door, you know. We have the best relationship. Both my neighbors across the street are white. Both my neighbors on the other side of me is white. My neighbor over here takes out my trash every week, always, and brings my can back up. He'll cut my grass for me. I, I, you know, my neighbors are so nice. I give him gifts and he be saying, "I don't want that. You ain't gotta pay me." I say, "Give it to the church", you know (laughs). And, you know, and...Speaker 2 (01:05:43): That's wonderful.
Linda Sutton (01:05:43): And we build relationships like that. That's what's
important to me. You know, I have a reverend friend. She's white and we go out to eat all the time. And, you know, it's just wonder-. We go to the, uh, the farmers market, you know. And it's about being in communion with each other. And, you know, it's, it's, that's what life is about, you know. And you have to learn to, you have to, at some point in your life, you're going to have to understand that we're all here and we all want the same thing, you know. And we need to love each other and work together and help make the community better. You know, I want things, the community to be nice around me. You know, I, I love having neighbors that are just friendly. "Hey, how are you doing? Hey, good morning." You know, "It's kind of hot out here today, right?" And we'll go over there and sit on the porch and talk. You know, it, you know the, you know, but I know, um, I have some friends who say, "I don't know anybody on my street." I'm like, "Really? Nobody?" (laughs) So, I don't know. I guess it's just me. I guess it's just me.Speaker 2 (01:07:04): No, I jlove the way you expressed that.
Linda Sutton (01:07:06): Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:07:06): It's great to know that this is such a wonderful and
supportive neighborhood.Linda Sutton (01:07:14): Mm-hmm. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. And I just, I just love
people. I do. I really do. You know, I have gay friends. My, my best friend just died a couple years ago, my best friend ever. And people in the community couldn't stand him. You know, he had a drinking problem, but he was one of my best advocates. He worked, I mean. And he cared about people, too, you know. So I, you know, I just love people, you know. So I don't, you know. I really do, you know. So, just do.Speaker 2 (01:07:53): Yeah. Well, Sweetie, can you think of anything else?
Speaker 3 (01:07:56): I, it's a beautiful interview.
Speaker 2 (01:07:57): It really.
Speaker 3 (01:07:57): It's very, very... It's excellent. You've done so much.
Linda Sutton (01:08:00): Real-, I wish I could have thought of some of those dates.
Speaker 3 (01:08:02): It doesn't matter.
Linda Sutton (01:08:03): I got my bio in here on the table with all of those
dates and things that you might can, you know.Speaker 3 (01:08:11): I have a question.
Linda Sutton (01:08:12): Huh uh.
Speaker 3 (01:08:13): And you probably kind of touched on it, but, you know,
we're, we're obviously on the same page in terms of politics, our concerns about the future of this country. We have kind of gone through the nightmare of Trump and all that. They're still threatening, you know, to, un- undo the next election.Linda Sutton (01:08:30): Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:08:31): And you know, it's very worrisome. So, and I know you're a
person who has, you know, a strong sense of faith. Uh, but how do you, how do you keep the faith up in spite of all these? If you look at the paper every day, there is something horrible that usually can get you all wor-, depressed. That's what I try not to look at the paper, but how, how do you do that? How do you keep your faith?Linda Sutton (01:08:57): You know, I don't know. I, I, I guess because I was
raised in a church. Uh, one thing that my sister and I every Saturday, my mother would put us in the tub, the big round tubs, you know, because you know we didn't have the bathtubs. We had them big round metal tubs.Speaker 2 (01:09:23): Maybe galvanized tubs.
Linda Sutton (01:09:24): We would get in the tub and and take our bath on
Saturday and on Sunday, we got ready to go to church. We both had a nickel to put in the plate. We had the same dress, but a different color. I love gloves and patent leather shoes and little pocketbooks and little hats. And she raised us that way. Vacation Bible School, always in church, always always, you know. And I've done some of everything in the church and, well I would say except preach, but I have done that, too. But I've done everything that, you know, I could possibly do because I consider myself a servant. And, and I guess that's what keeps me going, knowing that there are people that are so much less fortunate than I, and I don't even have a whole lot, but I have a lot compared to a lot of people, you know. And I think it's because of the way my mother raised us. You know, we just, it's just in us to try to help people, to try to make things better to, you know. I remember when I, we used to go visit people in the prisons and, you know, done all, everything that you can think of, I'm telling you.(01:10:42): My work in the church has been, I've been a usher, I've been
cooking, I've been cleaning up, vacuuming. I've been washing curtains, washing windows. I've been doing Sunday School. I've been teaching this class, doing this class, doing small groups, doing everything, been the den mother for the Boy Scouts (laughs). You know, I mean, some of everything. Singing on the choir, you know. I even worked in a church for eight years as a church administrator. I did that and, you know. But I couldn't take that much longer because after I left BellSouth, I kept my, one of my grandchildren when he was born, and my daughter-in-law was saying, They're getting ready to have another one." And I'm like, "No, I didn't retire to babysit the rest of my life." (laughs) So, I raised him from an infant to when he became one years old, and I said, "I'm gonna have to find me a job because I can't be a full time baby sitter. So, I actually out, I started working for the church and I worked for the church for eight years.(01:11:49): And I was still doing all my political stuff, you know, in the
meantime, but I got, I just couldn't take, doing funeral programs all the time and setting up for that, and it, it was becoming too much, you know. And, you know, especially everybody that you knew, you know. And, and I was like, "I think I want to, uh, go out here and do some work with Democracy North Carolina. And, and so I started, when I started the Voting Rights Coalition, I, that's what I actually did. And the former director, Bob Hall, he's like, you know, "Well, you know, you can come work for us," you know. I say, "Well, that's good." Because I used to be on the board for Democracy North Carolina for several years, too, uh before, you know, I was employed. Um, but I've enjoyed it. Uh, I just, you know, trying to educate people is the most important thing that I think needs to happen, especially right now because, not because of just gerrymandering and Citizens United with all the money and the things that make it harder for us, but there's so much else that's at stake.(01:13:00): And you think about election subversion, where they are actually
running in those positions, like Secretary of State, and on these bo-, you know, and running for school boards, and so they can subvert the election from within, instead of, you know, no outward. So within that they can just say, "Well, you know, I'm not going to accept that." We just defeated a signature verification bill they had in Raleigh, where they were trying to use a person's signature on their voter registration card. When I registered to vote, I'm sure my handwriting is nothing like it was when I registered to vote. People have carpal tunnel. They have diabetes, neuropathy. People have had strokes. Yeah people, you know what I'm saying? Pe-, there's so many people who would be disenfranchised if they had to match a person's current signature on an absentee ballot with when they first registered the vote, you know. And so we defeated that.Speaker 2 (01:14:00): When was that?
Linda Sutton (01:14:01): That was recently in this last, uh, session. And so,
um, it was called signature verification. So, you know, just, you know, it's constantly a fight. It's always a fight, you know, but we, we have a win every now and then. We take one step forward and two steps back. So we, we would just won, um, the formerly incarcerated felons, you know. So, that was good. It was about 55, 56,000 of those in North Carolina who are now eligible to register as soon as they come out, even...Speaker 2 (01:14:39): Before they could register once they've completed their parole?
Linda Sutton (01:14:42): Right. Before they would have had to complete their
probation and parole. Yes. And now, they don't have to. As soon as they're released, although they're still on probation and parole, they can register and vote. So, that was a good win, but that's what? 55,000 people. We have what seven million registered voters and I don't know how many million unregistered, you know. So, you know, I guess they figured that's, you know, a little something they can give, little crumbs they could give us, right? But...Speaker 2 (01:15:15): Well, I know I've registered people at the bus station and
some look at me sideways and I'll say, "I don't know if you know anybody who's come out of prison, done their parole, probation. You know, they can vote now."(01:15:29): "Really?"
Linda Sutton (01:15:31): They don't know it.
Speaker 2 (01:15:32): So, you just, you just, you can't say, "Did you come out
of prison? Are you a felon?"Linda Sutton (01:15:37): Right.
Speaker 2 (01:15:37): "You can vote." I mean you can't go about it that way.
Linda Sutton (01:15:39): So, right. So, what we're trying to do is identify
reentry groups.Speaker 2 (01:15:44): Oh okay.
Linda Sutton (01:15:45): Or organizations that work with that population. A lot
of people, when they're coming out of federal prison, especially, you know, if they're coming here, you know, a lot of them are homeless. They don't have clothing, food, no jobs and so it's taken them a while. So, they will visit Samaritan ministries, crisis control, Salvation Army, Rescue Mission. So, if we can educate them, take them the information, you know, even set up drives at their locations, or get them to do it, you know what I'm saying? We're definitely gonna give them the literature, but, you know, getting enough volunteers to actually do the registration, you know, trying to go to the places where they frequent, you know, and working through those reentry groups. Uh, we won't be able to get it from Department of Corrections because, you know, you know, privacy and all that, but, but we're trying to do whatever we can to reach out to that population.Speaker 2 (01:16:47): So, in North Carolina, if you're homeless, what can you
use for an address to vote?Linda Sutton (01:16:54): The Samaritan, they have, Bethesda have allowed them to
use their address, but, um, and they can use a, um, relative if they got a relative here or something. They can get somebody's address, uh, they can use. Uh, and those that don't, they put, you know, on the voter registration form, there's still a spot for you to draw where you sleep. "Under The Bridge on 52 and Peters Creek" are what... Look at a voter registration form. It's still there.Speaker 2 (01:17:28): Okay.
Linda Sutton (01:17:29): Yeah. And they still allow you to mark an X if you
can't write. You can still sign your name with an X. A lot of things people just don't, don't realize. And so yes, they can, they will allow you to use that address, especially in places where they'll allow you to sleep. You know, you can use that address to get your mail. Yeah.Speaker 2 (01:17:51): Great, great.
Linda Sutton (01:17:51): Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2 (01:17:53): Okay. This, I mean, this has been a wonderful story of
dedication and passion and um, you know, just this through line of getting people out to vote. It's just really powerful.Linda Sutton (01:18:11): Yeah, um, and it's, we just, it's just such an urgency
that people understand what's happening now. We're in a lot of trouble. We are in a lot of trouble. Um, and unnecessary. It's unnecessary. And the thing about it is I can't believe we have so many people in our country that are just so uneducated and don't, they'll just believe anything somebody would tell them, like John Kennedy. John F. Kennedy, Jr. is coming back and they're standing on the side of the road waiting. I can't understand. You know, and you think about authoritarian countries that, that keep, uh, keep the news, newspapers and TV and all of that away from the citizens, you know, so they won't be educated on things. And, you know, then there's an attack on public schools and, and I just can't believe.(01:19:28): And so many poor people living in rural areas, don't have broadband,
don't have access to a lot of stuff. You know, and that's how people in, uh, like West Virginia and, and a lot of states that you know, coal mining, uh, areas where people are just, you know, living so off the land in the back that don't get out, don't come, don't mingle, don't, you know. I've even seen stories where people just had never even seen a Black person before. You know, and, and it's just amazing that in this country, we don't have everybody with the minimum education, you know, that we will be able to think a little bit for ourselves and not be buying anything somebody tell us. That's, that's what's hurting me so bad, that you know, what happened? We have public education, but what has gone wrong that they did not get the education? Is it mental illnesses? Is it just being that poor? You know, I don't know. I just, I just don't know.Speaker 2 (01:20:46): I don't even think it's just being poor. Uh, let me throw
something out. I feel we're going through a period of so much change and upheaval. It generates a lot of fear in people.Linda Sutton (01:20:58): Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:20:58): And I think sometimes that fear is, uh, manifested and
falling for these things that look like quickie solutions and quickie answers.Linda Sutton (01:21:09): Yes.
Speaker 2 (01:21:10): But it's so be able to figure out [crosstalking 01:21:14].
Linda Sutton (01:21:13): Yeah, but yeah, but exactly. It's just, you know, and I
know people are afraid and, and you know, racism. People, you know, a lot of people don't want to talk about it. But racism is one of the, uh, underlying factors in a lot of this. Because people are, you know, they have people believing that, say the replacement theory, you know, that all, you know, all these minorities, from different races coming in the country and the white race is going to disappear. You know, I just don't understand. I don't know. And I don't think we will ever, ever... I used to think well, maybe after those hateful generations, the people who are really the strong racist, and you know. Maybe once they die out and the younger generations keep coming, and they are marrying each other, and, you know, and it's, they're more toler- tolerable, you know what I'm saying? So, you know, and I keep thinking, but you know, that, that race is such a strong, it's so embedded in everything in our country.(01:22:31): I don't know if we'll ever be able to get from, but you know, I'm
still hopeful generation. Generation after generation. If people learn to live together, and, and see, it's not, it's not that bad. You know, if you can have two men or two women loving each other, sure, you can have a Black and white loving each other. Give me a break. You know, so, uh, you know, we just, uh we, we're in a lot of trouble. And uh, I believe if we can educate enough people and get them out, we can help start to turn, you know, turn things around, but uh, it's gonna take the people. Uh, I think it was, who was it? Um, somebody had a quote that said that, you know, the only people that could deprive ourselves of our vote and our right to vote and being in charge is us, the people, because we won't, we don't, we don't participate. We're the only ones, you know, but if we would, I think we could start changing things and turning things around. Uh, but I'm hopeful.Speaker 2 (01:23:44): Thank you. Thank you so much.
Linda Sutton (01:23:44): The only thing I can do is, is love people, uh, care
for people, share what I have, and I don't have much. I don't have much knowledge. I don't have much of anything, but all I have is what I have to offer. And that's my friendship, my love, any of my possessions. I give people stuff. All this junk. This ain't nothing. Look, i have people come to me, "I love that girl. Give me that necklace." I'll take it off and give it to them. You know, material things don't, they don't faze me like, like some of my relatives (laughs). Some of my relatives, they're in a different place, you know, but uh, you know. It's not about the material stuff. It really isn't. You know, so, but some people feel that way.Speaker 2 (01:24:46): I know, so.
Linda Sutton (01:24:48): I grew up having, I grew up having my grandmother say,
"Welcome to the po' house. I got some pinto beans on the stove." (laughs) I guess that's why I don't, you know, hey. (laughs)Speaker 2 (01:24:58): Keeps you grounded, huh?
Speaker 3 (01:25:04): Well, is there anything you'd like to say, I mean, while
you're, we're here. I mean, anything you want add?Linda Sutton (01:25:11): Well, I can't think of anything. Um, no. I've been, you
know, I've been recognized for quite a few years from all types of organizations and uh, you know, and I keep telling people, you know, it's nothing that I did by myself. You know, I, you know, I didn't single handedly register thousands of people by myself, you know. So, you know, I tell people that don't even, you know. I got so many plaques and certificates and things. Do you see any of them plaques up on the wall? You know, they in a box. My kids are going to throw them away after I die, so.Speaker 2 (01:26:01): Probably not.
Linda Sutton (01:26:01): (laughs) You know, yeah, but...
Speaker 2 (01:26:05): So, you're hiding your light under a bushel.
Linda Sutton (01:26:06): (laughs) Well, I don't know, but I don't know. I guess
I'm just. I don't know, I guess just me. You know, I come from, uh, trying to, um, walk down the street when I was little and if I found a nickel, um, I was so happy to go to the store and get cookies, two for a penny or a lot of the older ladies in the neighborhood used to dip snuff. And they used to get those coupons off Tube Rose Snuff. We'd go to the grocery store and get a dime's worth of bologna and stuff like that. You know, people don't believe when I talk about the way I grew up, you know?(01:26:54): Um, and that meant a lot. You know, having those, that little bit,
having that nickel, two for a penny cookies and could buy some bologna with a Tube Rose Snuff coupon (laughs). And people don't be-, you know, but uh, you know. That's where I came from, you know. But um, you know, I'm happy. I want things to be better, but, you know, um, that's why I keep working. Everybody keep saying, "Well, when are you gonna retire? When you gonna stop?" You know, I, you know, as long as I can do it, as long as I can talk, as long as I could try to encourage people to get involved, I'm gonna keep doing it, you know, so.Speaker 3 (01:27:41): All right. Well, thank you so much. I gotta, I gotta shut
it off. 00:01:00