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A review by daniel1132
Watch Me Fly: What I Learned on the Way to Becoming the Woman I Was Meant to Be by Myrlie Evers-Williams
5.0
A remarkable book by a remarkable woman.
Some might know of Myrlie Evers as the widow of Medgar Evers, NAACP field secretary in Mississippi who was murdered in his driveway in 1963. A couple of movies have been made about Evers and of Myrlie's decades long fight to see his murderer convicted. I recently also learned of Evers-Williams tenure as chairperson of the NAACP int eh 1990s, taking over an organization that was struggle deeply with public controversy and immense financial struggles, and helped "right the ship" in less than 5 years. This book tells the whole story, how she grew up in Mississippi, met and married Medgar, the path toward a degree and a career after he died, and raising 4 kids along the way. It details her climbing the ladder in a couple of large corporations, and then her stint in city government in L.A. breaking a number of glass ceilings along the way. Myrlie called it an "instructive autobiography," and it is, as she mixes in her own personal lessons learned along the way. Parts of it definitely read like "advice from Auntie Myrlie."
One thing that noticed as a theme throughout the many chapters of her life was her willingness to work within systems for incremental and realistic change, rather than press for idealistic and perhaps unrealistic goals. I have a personal bent toward idealism and radicalism, and I think there is a time and place for it, and there are plenty of activists to learn from and model after in that vein. It was fascinating, by contrast, to see how Myrlie navigated complex situations in every sphere: business, civil rights, even media ventures--and how she advocated, but was also willing to compromise to see *something* accomplished, rather than nothing. Certainly, her position at head of the NAACP exemplifies this kind of role, and the kinds of things that can be accomplished. I think the freedom struggle takes all types: Martins, Malcolms, Medgers, and Mylries, and the movement(s) are stronger when all are able to find a way to co-exist and even co-operate. I learned a lot from Auntie Myrlie, maybe especially when I felt a different instinct, or where I found her zigging where I might zag.
Coretta Scott King said this of the book: "It should be of compelling interest to everyone seeking a deeper understanding of civil rights history, the meaning of womanhood, and the struggle for personal fulfillment. I recommend it highly." I agree.
Some might know of Myrlie Evers as the widow of Medgar Evers, NAACP field secretary in Mississippi who was murdered in his driveway in 1963. A couple of movies have been made about Evers and of Myrlie's decades long fight to see his murderer convicted. I recently also learned of Evers-Williams tenure as chairperson of the NAACP int eh 1990s, taking over an organization that was struggle deeply with public controversy and immense financial struggles, and helped "right the ship" in less than 5 years. This book tells the whole story, how she grew up in Mississippi, met and married Medgar, the path toward a degree and a career after he died, and raising 4 kids along the way. It details her climbing the ladder in a couple of large corporations, and then her stint in city government in L.A. breaking a number of glass ceilings along the way. Myrlie called it an "instructive autobiography," and it is, as she mixes in her own personal lessons learned along the way. Parts of it definitely read like "advice from Auntie Myrlie."
One thing that noticed as a theme throughout the many chapters of her life was her willingness to work within systems for incremental and realistic change, rather than press for idealistic and perhaps unrealistic goals. I have a personal bent toward idealism and radicalism, and I think there is a time and place for it, and there are plenty of activists to learn from and model after in that vein. It was fascinating, by contrast, to see how Myrlie navigated complex situations in every sphere: business, civil rights, even media ventures--and how she advocated, but was also willing to compromise to see *something* accomplished, rather than nothing. Certainly, her position at head of the NAACP exemplifies this kind of role, and the kinds of things that can be accomplished. I think the freedom struggle takes all types: Martins, Malcolms, Medgers, and Mylries, and the movement(s) are stronger when all are able to find a way to co-exist and even co-operate. I learned a lot from Auntie Myrlie, maybe especially when I felt a different instinct, or where I found her zigging where I might zag.
Coretta Scott King said this of the book: "It should be of compelling interest to everyone seeking a deeper understanding of civil rights history, the meaning of womanhood, and the struggle for personal fulfillment. I recommend it highly." I agree.