MSNBC host and bestselling author Joy-Ann Reid graced Shalom Church City of Peace stage for her book tour. On Saturday, February 10, Reid in a conversation with Carol Daniel, Senior Producer, and Host-Nine PBS, talked about her newest book ‘Medgar & Myrlie: Medgar Evers and the Love Story That Awakened America’ to an enthusiastic sold-out audience.
“I thought it would be much more interesting to tell a story of not just the man, but the support system that allowed the man to be the man. For a lot of the Civil Rights leaders back then their support system was their wife.”
The MSNBC host made history as the first Black woman to host a prime-time cable news program; she is the author of two previous national bestselling books. She is also the host of Reid This Reid That podcast, in 2022 Reid received the NAACP Image Award for her TV show Reid Out and has received numerous honors from the Women’s Media Center and the National Association of Black Journalists.
The event was presented by the St. Louis County Library Black History Month program. This year’s theme is “African American Arts: Inspiring, Impacting, and Influencing Every Generation.” Reid is just that, her contagious spirit for research, truth, and journalism had the audience on the edge of their seat when talking about the untold love story of the Evers. It was like two ‘aunties’ catching up on a bit of history, the audience cheered and clapped, and some even snapped their fingers when Reid was hitting on some high points about America’s history during the Civil Rights era.
Reid’s book is about the love story of Medgar and Myrlie Evers, the self-proclaimed history nerd who wanted to bring the iconic figures of the Evers back to human form. “ These were very young activists in their 20s and 30s that had lived, they were married and had kids,” said Reid. “I thought it would be much more interesting to tell a story of not just the man, but the support system that allowed the man to be the man. For a lot of the Civil Rights leaders back then their support system was their wife”
“They couldn’t have done what they did without their wives”. Naming historical civil rights leaders like King, Malcolm X, and Evers Reid touched on how these men couldn’t have accomplished what they did in American history without their wives’ support. Reid tells the audience that Myrlie Evers was Medgar’s secretary.
“They had a full life and I wanted to tell that story of their life and love that enabled him to be who he was,” said Reid.
During her interviews with Myrlie Evers, Reid informs the audience of how honest Myrlie was when talking about her marriage to Medgar. The then-young wife and mom didn’t want her husband to go into activism, she faced depression and suicidal thoughts. “She wanted him to be alive, and she knew how dangerous it was for him to talk about civil rights for Black folks in rural Mississippi,” said Reid.
Reid describes Myrlie as a very strong woman but she is also very vulnerable during their conversations, Evers’ widow is candid about being lonely in her marriage and feeling like a single mom raising her and Medgar’s young children.
Angela Mitchell, an avid supporter of St. Louis County Library and Reid, openly talked about how Reid’s book taught her about the Evers, Mitchell wasn’t taught about the Civil Rights activist in school. Reid’s book brought that part of history to life for Mitchell; she became interested in learning more about the couple’s story. “I want to dive into this book, especially because it is Black History Month, to get in touch with my culture,” said Mitchell. “I’ve always wondered about the emotional toll our ancestors went through during the Civil Rights era, to make those efforts to make change.”
Mitchell is inspired by Reid’s book and plans to be more of an activist for the Black community.
Ashley Winters is a Report for America reporter for the St. Louis American.
