On Martin Luther King Day, I wrote about Martin Luther King, Jr. and Uncle Big Bud. Today, the anniversary of Dr. King’s assassination, is a good time to reflect on the changes that have happened in the last 40 years, and a book by one of my clients is an excellent way to see the changes through the eyes of someone who has experienced them first hand.
Uncle Big Bud: A Family’s Journey from Slavery to Self-Determination by James E. Williams will be released soon. The author tells his family’s story as accurately as possible based on available information and fills in the gaps where information isn’t available.
From the back cover:
Slavery, segregation, and struggle shaped Big Henry Williams but did not define him. The man called Uncle Big Bud constantly struggled to support his family with no education and few skills. But he worked hard; loved life, laughter, family, and God; and set an example of integrity for his eleven children.
Big Henry never marched for civil rights, but he refused to chop peanuts for the white farmer who didn’t pay him. He didn’t take part in any protests, but he demanded that he be be given the same terms as the white farmers when he got a government loan to grow his cotton crop. He never had his name in the paper or his picture on TV – in fact the only photo ever taken of him is the one on the cover of the book, but he inspired his family and those who knew and loved him.