A Voice of Hope: The Myrlie Evers-Williams Story

Working in flashback, Salomon chronicles the life and developing voice of civil rights champion Myrlie Evers-Williams (b. 1933). Born into Jim Crow Mississippi, Evers-Williams grew up in a place where “hate ran as deep as the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers” and “love flowed stronger than hate and river currents.” The quiet girl finds her purpose at the piano, and dreams of performing at Carnegie Hall. When Jim Crow laws make it illegal for her to attend a private university, pivoting to a state school leads to her meeting WWII vet Medgar Evers (1925–1963). Together, they “created harmony and fought against injustice” until Evers’s assassination sees her working for justice in his honor and, eventually, becoming the first full-time woman chair of the NAACP. Ladd’s distinctive collage bursts with life and color in this homage to a once-shy figure who fought for justice, along the way cultivating skills that would see her playing Carnegie Hall and offering a prayer at President Obama’s second inauguration. Includes a timeline and author’s note. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)