Tag Meredith Coleman McGee
Buy Meredith Etc, 2026 releases: 2 memoirs + 1 history books.
My Picture Dictionary by Meredith Coleman McGee is a must read for early learners.
Honoring James Howard Meredith who broke Jim Crow barriers at the college level in Mississippi on September 30, 1962.
On September 30, 1960, JFK, RFK, and Governor Ross Barnett negotiated a plan to allow James Meredith to become a resident on the Campus of Ole Miss.
President Kennedy announced Meredith’s residence to the nation via a television press conference September 30, 1962.
The Klan and segregationists began entering the campus during day light hours September 30, 1962. U.S. Marshals were on campus. A riot which had been incited by Governor Ross Barnett turned into a full insurrection. JFK called in the National Guard and the army. The army had never been utilized to protect the rights of a citizen.
Two people were killed, and nearly 200 were injured during the Insurrection on the campus of the University of Mississippi, September 30, 1962.
October 1, 1962, James Meredith attended his first class at the University of Mississippi.
He graduated on August 18, 1963, obtaining a bachelor’s degree in political science. The U.S. Marshals escorted Meredith and a caravan of supporters to Memphis.
One of the government’s officials informed Meredith he was on the Klan’s hit list and recommended he move out of the state.
Meredith relocated to Nigeria and enrolled in a master’s degree program. He obtained a master’s degree in government and economics from the University of Ibadan in 1965.
He and his family moved to Manhattan, and he enrolled in law school at Columbia University in 1965. His first wife Mary June Wiggins Meredith became a local schoolteacher.
On June 5, 1966, James Meredith started “Meredith Walk Against Fear,” a 225 mile walk from the Tennessee-Mississippi line on Highway 51 to Jackson with 16 men. Some were from Memphis and a few travelled from NY.
Meredith sough to encourage blacks to register to vote, and to show black men they had nothing to fear by walking the highways and byways in Mississippi.
Mississippi Blues: 1900-2025 books, t-shirts, and dresses are on sale
Billie Holiday: Jazz Singer by Meredith Coleman McGee
Billie Holiday: Jazz Singer is a full-length, modern biography of Lady Day written by Meredith Coleman McGee, published in 2024. The book traces Holiday’s life from her birth in Philadelphia through her Baltimore childhood and into her 30‑year career as one of the most influential voices in American jazz.
🎤 What the book covers
- Her rise in Harlem (1933): Holiday becomes the defining voice of jazz during the Harlem Renaissance.
- “Strange Fruit” (1939): The biography gives deep context to her landmark protest song about lynching, exploring how it made her a superstar and a target of federal surveillance.
- Race, gender, and the music industry: McGee situates Holiday’s life within 20th‑century racial politics, addiction, exploitation, and the realities of the jazz business.
- Personal relationships: The book is described as intimate and unflinching, detailing Holiday’s complicated ties with family, friends, and collaborators.
- Legacy: Even 64+ years after her death, Holiday’s influence remains wide-reaching, and McGee highlights how her artistry shaped American music.
Buy Billie Holiday: Jazz Singer Billie Holiday: Jazz Singer hardcover $29.98
Buy Billie Holiday: Jazz Singer Billie Holiday: Jazz Singer softcover book $19.98
Diane Williams, 24th author @ Meredith Etc, presented an award to her publisher Meredith Coleman McGee, Aug. 29, 2026
Appreciation for Years of Service
Meredith Coleman McGee – Meredith Etc
Book Publisher, Author, Poet, Public Speaker
August 27, 2026
(14 years as acquisition editor, 13 years as book publisher, 41 books, 24 authors)
Core Topics Meredith Coleman McGee Has Been Talking About
Across her public appearances, book events, and published materials, Meredith Coleman McGee consistently speaks about four major themes:
1. Black History & Cultural Memory
Her work frequently centers on Mississippi’s Black history, civil rights, and cultural heritage.
- She discusses her biography James Meredith: Warrior and the America That Created Him, focusing on her uncle’s historic integration of Ole Miss in 1962.
- She appears in Black History Month spotlights and cultural programs highlighting African American arts and historical contributions.
2. Jazz & Musical Legacy
McGee has been actively talking about jazz history—especially Billie Holiday.
- Her 13th book, Billie Holiday: Jazz Singer, is a recurring topic in interviews, book talks, and Black History events.
- She participated in a Billie Holiday Tribute floor show in Ridgeland, MS.
3. Mississippi Blues (1900–2025)
Her newest major release, Mississippi Blues: 1900–2025, has been a central talking point.
- She discusses the evolution of Mississippi blues, its musicians, and its cultural impact.
- She promotes the book at festivals, expos, and literacy events.
4. Literacy, Publishing, & Community Education
McGee frequently speaks about literacy, early childhood learning, and community library initiatives.
- She chairs Community Library Mississippi, organizes poetry contests, and hosts speaking series.
- She talks about her work as a résumé writer, publisher, and advocate for home-based early learning.
McGee Visits the Book Gallery, The Next Chapter Bookshop
McGee Visits the Book Gallery, The Next Chapter Bookshop, page 9 By Lynette Stafford, DD-T. see page 9. I enjoyed Lynette Stafford’s article. Very interesting. The Mississippi Delta is full of interesting people.
Diane Williams and her publisher Meredith Coleman McGee will appear on the Mississippi Arts Hour
Friday, August 28 at 10am Diane Williams and her publisher Meredith Coleman McGee will interview for an appearance on the Mississippi Arts Commission. The interview will be at 455 N. Lamar Street, Suite 2A, Jackson (corner of High Street on Lamar).
The show will air on Mississippi Public Broadcast (MPB) in September.
Mississippi Blues: 1900–2025 is a sweeping, century‑spanning history of Mississippi’s blues tradition
Mississippi Blues: 1900–2025 is a sweeping, century‑spanning history of Mississippi’s blues tradition written by Meredith Coleman McGee, and your query points directly to that book. Here’s the essential overview, grounded in the most authoritative sources available.
🎶 Core Takeaway
It’s a comprehensive, 382‑page history of Mississippi blues from its early 1900 roots through 2025, centered on pioneers like Charlie Patton and modern legends such as Bobby Rush, King Edward, and Jesse “Guitar” Robinson.
📘 What the Book Covers
- Origins of the Blues (1900s–1930s) Begins with Charlie Patton (1891–1934) — called The First Rock ’n’ Roller and Grandfather of the Blues — along with other early Delta pioneers.
- Jackson’s Elder Bluesmen (Mid‑century to present) Central chapters focus on three major Jackson artists:
- Bobby Rush (1933– )
- King Edward (1937– )
- Jesse “Guitar” Robinson (1944– ) Their stories form the heart of the narrative.
- Broader Mississippi & American Blues Lineage Profiles dozens of artists, including:
- David “Honeyboy” Edwards
- Muddy Waters
- Howlin’ Wolf
- Jimmy “Duck” Holmes And many lesser‑known musicians who sustained the tradition.
- Cultural & Musical Evolution (20th–21st Century) Tracks blues from rural juke joints and street corners to electrified festival stages, showing how Mississippi shaped American music.
🖋️ About the Author
Meredith Coleman McGee — poet, publisher, book collector, lecturer, résumé writer, and small business owner — has authored multiple full‑length and children’s books, including Billie Holiday: Jazz Singer, Juneteenth: Freedom Day, James Meredith: Warrior and the America That Created Him, and more.
