Includes bibliographical references.

In 1933, Unita Blackwell was born in a tiny Mississippi town where living was as hard as it gets. She grew up in a sharecropping family and left school at age twelve to make a living. But Unita was forever changed in 1964 when civil rights workers came to her town. Electrified, she transformed her life from despair to hope, and here she details her inspirational rise from poverty to power, from silence to outspokenness, from oppression to freedom. From her rebirth as a social activist to her tenure as mayor of her home town, to her work as an international peacemaker and presidential advisor, here are all the unlikely turns of Unita's remarkable life. The lessons she shares affirm and motivate us all, whether it's to remember that ordinary people can do extraordinary things, that world-changing movements are the result of many small steps, or that freedom means taking responsibility for our own lives and helping to make the world a better place for all.--From publisher description.