Celebrating Martin Luther King with Myrlie Evers-Williams



I almost missed it.

If it hadn't been for the Google News alert I had signed up for about a year ago, I would have.

Myrlie Evers-Williams was in Rochester yesterday to give a talk in honor of Martin Luther King at Nazareth College. It was a tremendous opportunity to hear one of the most admired women in America give an inspiring speech.

But it was more than that for me. It was an opportunity to see an old friend and neighbor. Someone from my childhood, here, in Rochester, where I have lived now for almost 16 years.

Myrlie and her three children moved from Jackson, Miss., to Claremont, Calif., in 1964. As it happens, my family lived two doors down. I was 15 then, and became the evening and weekend babysitter for the Evers children, Darrell, Reena, and James Van Dyke (Van).

Back in 1993 I wrote an essay for a mass media class I was teaching then at SUNY Brockport, trying to explain to my students why I insisted on incorporating multi-cultural issues (race, ethnicity, gender) into the core of the course. The essay was eventually published in the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle. I posted a copy of it on one of my other websites, here.

Several years ago Myrlie was in Rochester for a different occasion. I did not know it until I saw her on the evening news. I tried calling the people who had organized the event, but got only voice mail, and no one ever got back to me.

So when I got the Google alert...and noticed it was for a mention in the Democrat & Chronicle, I thought, wonderful! This time I am not going to miss her! So I called my friend Megan and said we just had to be there.

It was a very special moment when I caught her backstage after her talk and said "Myrlie....Myrlie...it's Jo-Jo! It's Jo-Jo!" (My family nickname).

I loved the reaction on her face. She could not believe it was me.

She wanted to catch up with all the news, as I did, but of course there were many other people wanting her attention. We visited very briefly, then I promised I would call her. Whenever she got back (she has many other talks to give this week, naturally).

Anyway, I made a recording of her talk, which you can find here. The sound quality is not the best, but I think you can hear most of it.



Posted: Tue - January 17, 2006 at 05:07 PM          

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