Perspectives S37/Ep35 Lessons we learn from our grandparents

Sunday, September 7th, we celebrate Grandparents Day—a time to honor the wisdom, sacrifice, and love of those who came before us. My guest today, Walter Pryor, has captured that spirit in a moving new memoir titled This Leaves Me Okay: Race, Legacy, and Letters from My Grandmother. For nearly 30 years, Walter’s grandmother, Lucille “Mama Celie” Hatch Eldridge, wrote him weekly letters. She was a woman who had only completed the eighth grade, worked as a live-in maid, and yet, with pen and paper, built a bridge of encouragement and hope that carried her grandson from boyhood to manhood. Through her words and Walter’s reflections, the book shines a light on the rural Arkansas Black experience and reminds us of the power of family legacy, resilience, and love across generations.