On an Unusual Collaboration

Keith and Phoebe are, in many ways, an usual couple. They are not romantically linked, but they are dear friends and have decided to collaborate closely for the rest of their lives in promoting a non-profit organization. When you hear how they came to be friends and co-workers who share the same world-view, you’ll be as pleased as you will be surprised.

Keith and Phoebe both have deep backgrounds in the state of Louisiana. Their New Orleans roots run through what they are working on together. The group they head is part educational, part inspirational, part historical, and part hands-on application. And that’s not all.

You see, Keith’s family is mostly African-American, while Phoebe’s ancestry is mostly from Europe. That’s part of what brings them together today–that difference. Phoebe put it this way: “We want people to understand what legacy is…(and) not wait until the end of life but to realize what legacy is at an early age.” And, so, the pair speak to college kids, senior groups, churches, and have even appeared before legislative committees speaking about legacy–their specific legacy, and our collective one.

In Keith’s and Phoebe’s minds, the world works better if we stop looking for who we can be against and begin concentrating on who we can be with. Keith talks about taking a mentality of “verses” meaning opposition and turning that into “and” meaning coming together. If you’re starting to think that these two are working to spread a message of racial tolerance and peace, then you’d be correct.

The pair of unlikely collaborators don’t share much by way of careers. Keith worked for Marriott Hotels most of his life, and Phoebe was a photographer and filmmaker for much of hers. But their passion and, yes, legacy, is what brings them together on their mission and binds them forever historically.

Because Keith and Phoebe–note the “and” there–have ancestors that used to be “verses.” Keith Plessy and Phoebe Ferguson are descendants of Homer Plessy and Judge John Ferguson–the participants in the infamous Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court case that legalized segregation for decades in the United States.