James Lee Purnell Jr. : Memories of Struggles and Progress in a Segregated Worcester County, Maryland

Book excerpt: This is an autobiography of the first African-American elected to public office in Worcester County, Maryland. James Lee Purnell Jr. grew up on the outskirts of the small town of Berlin, Worcester County, Maryland in a time when Jim Crow reigned.The love of family and neighbors sustained him during those difficult times, and he followed in the entrepreneurial footsteps of his parents. Worcester County was slow to evolve, even after the passage of the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act. Seeking to spur change in his neglected and put-upon community, he joined with his neighborhood organizations, as well as the local and state NAACP for the biggest fights of his life - and won. Looking forward, he shares his concerns about milestones not yet reached and the possibility of society slipping back into the days of old.