A Legend By Accident: Sue Anna Joe And The Mississippi State Flag

Belonging In The South: A Guide For Misfits

A Legend By Accident: Sue Anna Joe and the Mississippi State Flag

Episode 02

In the South, states were slow to change their flags away from including divisive confederate symbolism, and Mississippi was the last to do so, in 2021.

Today, host Rebecca Lauderdale is joined by her childhood friend and one of the designers of Mississippi’s new state flag, Sue Anna Joe. Out of almost 3000 submissions, her magnolia flower was chosen to be a central part of the final design. This was an honor in many regards, especially because Mississippi was finally replacing its divisive Confederate battle flag.

Sue’s love for her home state runs deep, but is contrasted by her experiences as a Chinese-American living in the South. In this episode, she discusses the pressures many people like her feel to conform to conflicting Southern and Chinese ideals.

Tune in to learn more about Chinese culture, the history of Chinese grocery stores in the South, and what Sue’s win means to her!

Topics discussed in this episode:

• The pressures that led Mississippi to finally change its state flag
• Sue’s decision to submit a design
• How she feels about her win
• Public support for a new flag and reactions to her design
• The people that shaped Sue’s life
• The history of Chinese grocery stores in the south
• Similarities between Chinese and Southern culture
• Conflicting social norms in Chinese and Southern culture
• What Sue has learned about dealing with shame

Connect with Belonging In The South: A Guide For Misfits:

https://www.belonginginthesouth.com/
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https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.lauderdale

This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique http://www.podcastboutique.com

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