Sandi Sudduth

JesusJesus. For Sandi, it all begins and ends with Jesus. A committed Christ-follower and active member of First Baptist Church on Corona Avenue, her life is all about service to her family, to her community and to her Lord.RoosterWork. An extremely early riser, the wee hours may find Sandi emailing and taking care of business for one of her numerous responsibilities: presiding over city council, being a career coach for the Second Opportunity System through Bevill State, teaching classes for the Children’s Policy Counsel, or catching up on her Mary Kay orders.Sparkly shoes and wandOpportunities. It was not a fairy godmother, but Sandi’s strict and loving mother who had aspirations for her daughter and who instilled a good work ethic in her.DragonflyMentors. Did you know that the dragonfly symbolizes change? A list of teachers crucial to Sandi’s formative years rolls off her tongue with ease. The respect she has for these men and women is evident in her easy roll-call of familiar and well-loved Jasper faculty and coaches: Davidson, Fowler, Underwood, White, Thomas, Davis, Morrison, Hudson. These people encouraged and supported Sandi when she became the first black cheerleader at Walker High School. They watched and guided societal transformation up close in the halls and in their rooms, gyms, and ball fields. They were about the business of making, not breaking.RoseFriends. Some of Sandi’s best friends to this day are her classmates – her sisters that don’t see color as a barrier. In her bouquet: Joan, Emilil, Janet, Judy, Olanda, Connie

Black Woman ProfileCommunity. Sandi left Walker College and attended UAB, studied under African-American professors, pledged a sorority, and spent time living and working in Tuskegee and Atlanta.Diamond RingLove. Life landed Sandi back in Jasper with 5 children to raise alone in an old house. Not intimidated by a challenge, Sandi refused to be a statistic; she defied being categorized and supported by a system. She worked three jobs and raised her children. She also fell in love again and married Mr. Arthur Sudduth.LipsTalk. Sandi is not just a community activist, she is a “people” activist. She teaches a ten week course to at-risk kids; she has ten weeks to help them make better choices, to instill in them some of what she has gotten inside of herself. But her preaching is not just lip service! Work together. Be fair. Change the way you approach problems. Treat people like people! Be honest. Love. She speaks it; she lives it.Gingerbread manFamily. When asked what makes her tick, the response comes quickly, “Children are my life!” A quick glance around Sandi’s office verifies this. There are framed pictures of smiling young people on every possible surface. Mother to 8 and grandmother to 14 by the end of the year, Sandi relishes her involvement with her children – and young people everywhere that she claims as her own. Lucky kids!