A Voice of Hope: The ­Myrlie Evers-Williams Story

Gr 4-6–In 2013, Myrlie Evers-Williams stands on the steps of the Capitol prepared to give a prayer at the second inauguration of President Obama. The narrative moves back to her childhood in Mississippi, where she dreamed of being a concert pianist and playing Carnegie Hall, but “Jim Crow laws made it illegal for her to attend a private university and pursue a music major.” In college she met and married Medgar Evers, who shared her belief in standing up for civil rights. Marriage and motherhood did not stop her from joining Evers in the fight until his murder in 1963; she carried on her work while seeking justice for him. She remarried and later became the first woman chair of the NAACP. Over time, she returned to her piano and was invited by a friend to play at Carnegie Hall, followed by her prayer at the inauguration. Deeply hued illustrations in a combination of acrylic and paper collage cover scene after scene of Evers-Williams and her profoundly engaged life. The people in the forefront of the illustrations are drawn with detail, with those in background less defined, implying a life set against—and influencing—epic events. Musical terms are woven throughout, referencing her love of music. A time line of Evers-Williams’s life appears in the book, and the end pages include an author’s note.