Overcoming Racism and Sexism in America

From Liberty to Magnolia will show African Americans, and women especially, through the lessons of Dr. Ellis’ real-life journey, how to navigate, embrace, use and challenge those strong internal and external forces that are always at play in our daily lives. Internal forces, such as the expectations around personal conduct as one balances conflicting cultural principles and practices; and the dual standards of morality and discriminating mores between men and women that are ever present. These internal forces are often compounded by seemingly intransigent and insidious external forces such as systemic racism and gender inequality, vacuous promises of Civil Rights and Equal Rights, and the tug of Feminism on the family and traditional family values.

Despite these forces, this real-life story shows how to find, pursue, and achieve real purpose for your life as an African American, as a woman; or as a woman, as an African American, whichever first impression is registered as one traverses American society.

About the Author / Expert: Dr. Ellis has been an executive throughout her career, first in government, then in a large pharmaceutical company, later as President and CEO of a marketing firm, and finally as President and CEO of a bi-state non-profit child advocacy agency. Along with those positions, she has been writing columns for more than four decades on race, politics, education, and other social issues for a major metropolitan daily newspaper, The Kansas City Star; a major metropolitan business journal, The Milwaukee Business Journal; and for community newspapers The Milwaukee Courier, The Kansas City Globe, and The Kansas City Call. She wrote radio commentary for two years for one of the largest ABC radio affiliates in Wisconsin and subsequently wrote and delivered a two-minute spot on the two largest Arbitron-rated radio stations in the Greater Kansas City area. She has also written for several national trade publications, focusing on healthcare and the pharmaceutical industry.

Book or Product Name: From Liberty to Magnolia: In Search of the American Dream

Book or Product Description: From Liberty to Magnolia: In Search of the American Dream vividly recounts the journey of an African-American woman from rural, segregated Mississippi through academia, corporate America, and politics. It is the story of how she triumphed even when, more often than not, the ugly realities of racism and sexism tried to deter her. This book tells the broader story, too, of how her life epitomizes what the Civil Rights Act and Equal Rights Amendment have meant and have not meant for millions of blacks and millions of women as she has lived through their maturation during the last 50 years. What better time than now to examine how these two seminal and defining events played out in the life of an ordinary African-American woman who believed in all of America’s promises? What better moment than today to look deeply at the life of a woman who prepared herself and worked tirelessly to achieve her goals only to realize that many lay beyond her reach and that of most women and most blacks. From Liberty to Magnolia shows readers, especially aspiring women and minorities—with whom her story will have special resonance—how to navigate and ultimately embrace the challenges at every major crossroads and be triumphant. A Discussion Guide is included for use by book clubs, classes, and group forums.

Logistics (choose all that apply):

Available for Last Minute Interviews

Willing to Travel

Willing to Skype or Video Chat

Previous Radio Interview experience

Previous Television interview experience