PHOTOS BY STEELE

PHOTOS BY STEELE “ My grandmother died 20 years ago. I never thought about documenting her. Why would I? When you’re young you think you’re going to live forever and your loved ones will too. I didn’t know that I would miss her increasingly over the years. Time heals pain, but it doesn’t stop you from wondering what you could have done to preserve every single thing about your loved one before they become a shadow of a memory. I find myself trying to remember little things like the color of Gram’s nail polish. So, I chose to honor her by interviewing other peoples’ grandmothers. — ALYSIA STEELE, MEEK SCHOOL ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

MRS. ANNYCE CAMPBELL, 89, who resides in Mound Bayou, Mississippi, was married for 69 years when her husband passed away in May 2013. When asked what she loved about him, she sat for a few minutes, didn’t say a word to me, but instead asked her daughter to hand her the framed photograph of him that was on the piano. Her fingers traced over his face in the picture, a single tear fell from her eyes and slowly glided down her cheek. I was embarrassed I had asked her such a personal question and then she said, “Everything. Everything. He was the most gentle person you wanna see. Loving and caring. He was the first somebody that I loved. My husband was mischievous, let me just say that. Just as mischievous as he could be. He was always that jolly, jolly guy.” And then she smiled at me.

MRS. VIRGINIA HOWER, 93, who resides in Clarksdale, Mississippi, talked about racial inequality and how she “passed” for white so she could have better opportunities. Here is what she said:

“One Minute Café was on Issaquena Street and they had the best burgers. They just didn’t allow us to go into that hamburger place. We had to go into the alley to get a hamburger. You began to wonder why. And my grandparents used to send me in the restaurants to get the hamburgers if we didn’t go in the alley and they never knew the difference. Going to the café, I felt dirty. And if you could pass for White, all was well. I guess you got acclimated to the condition. And then you got to thinkin’ how foolish this life is, how foolish. Then you got to thinkin’ about it and say take advantage of it.”