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Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite
In the memoir Two Minds One Rhythm, Edward Blackmon Jr. and Barbara Blackmon trace the lives that led them to Mississippi’s fight for civil rights. Edward grows up in segregated Canton, where his mother’s insistence on education gives him the means to become a lawyer dedicated to his community. Barbara is raised in Jackson, encouraged by her parents to pursue the studies that take her beyond Mississippi before she returns home to practice law. Their meeting at a political fundraiser leads to marriage, with their work soon joining a law practice in Canton. Edward had served for decades in the Mississippi House, while Barbara won a seat in the state Senate. Looking back on their public lives, they consider what their experiences can teach a divided country about working toward a common future.
Edward Blackmon Jr. and Barbara Blackmon’s Two Minds One Rhythm is a thoughtful memoir, and the authors show why shared purpose matters in a divided America. I loved how the history, which previously felt really far removed, touches a little more personally through moments that expose the indignities imposed by segregation. When Wendell Bartee is arrested during a civil rights demonstration, he insists that the jailer record his mother’s name as Mrs. Virgil T. Bartee, turning a simple courtesy into a declaration of dignity. The standout to me, and the story that moved me the most, is Barbara’s account of Mississippi’s 2020 flag debate. With fellow senator Dennis DeBar encouraging her to speak, her words became part of a bipartisan decision to retire the Confederate emblem, showing what people can accomplish when they agree on a shared goal. Well written and heartfelt, readers hopeful for America's future will adore this.
