Susie

"Susie" When I was in first grade I spent recess playing with two girls named Susie (one white, one black) and a girl named Jenny. One day Jenny said she couldn't play with us anymore because Susie was black. I was confused; I had never heard of such a thing! Susie just said, "Okay, well I liked playing with you and I'll miss you." And that was that. Jenny stopped playing with us and the two Susies and I kept having fun. I remember wondering why Susie (the black one) wasn't more upset and it wasn't until later in life that I realized she probably went home and cried about the loss of a friend and that it probably wasn't the first, or the last, time something like that happened to her. This painting was modeled from a 1960s era photo but her sense of resolve and hopefulness made me think of Susie from first grade.