Fly in the Buttermilk: The Life Story of Cecil Reed

by Cecil A. Reed, Priscilla Donovan (Contributor), Albert E. Stone (Foreword)

Born in 1913 in Collinsville, Illinois, Cecil Reed has lived all of his life in the Midwest as a black man among whites. This self-styled "fly in the buttermilk" worked among whites with such skill and grace that they were barely aware of his existence - unless he wanted to get a bank loan or move into their neighborhood. Now, in his lively and optimistic autobiography, he speaks of his resilience throughout a life spent working peacefully but passionately for equality. As a teenager and young man, Cecil Reed was the black waiter, the short-order cook, the paper carrier, the tap dancer and singer, the carpenter, and the maintenance man who learned to survive in a white society. As an adult in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, he inched his way into owning several small businesses, convincing the community to accept him and his family through hard work and creativity. When whites felt besieged by black militants in the sixties, they turned to him for less threatening advice and leadership. Reed put away his floor sander and became an inspiring speaker who crisscrossed the country offering solutions to civil rights problems. In 1966, Reed was elected to the Iowa House of Representatives, the first and only black Republican to hold this office. His next major triumph: securing a unanimous vote of approval for the state's fair housing bill. Within a year he was appointed by a Democratic governor to the Iowa Employment Security Commission, becoming the first black commissioner in America. Thus began a twenty-year career in public service in both state and federal positions that brought him into partnership with the nation's political, economic, and religious leaders. Throughout his sometimes tragic but always hope-filled life, from shoeshine stand to Department of Labor, Cecil Reed has been a quiet, persistent, realistically-within-the-system fighter for justice. Although he epitomizes the success of his "get along by getting along" philosophy, he still confronts racism daily, stil

208 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1993

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew Cecil personally and he is one of those people that I can say truly made the world a better place. When I met Cecil I was working at the National Veterans Training Institute (NVTI). We taught the people working in the transition offices on military bases how to help veterans transition their military experience into everyday job experience. It's hard, one day you are a sniper or a tank driver - the next you don't quite know what jobs you'd be good at in the civilian world. Anyway. . .

Cecil was a motivational speaker and he came through to speak at our classes monthly. I was just a student hourly, but every time he came to Denver he insisted that we share a meal together and talk about the great things I will do with my life. It was cool, he actually believed that I'd do great things!

During his presentations he spoke about being raised a poor black man in the deep south when it wasn't necessarily good to be young and black. He told us about the ugly things that happened to him, but more importantly how he didn't let that stuff get him down. He became determined to become a better man. He joined the military - was shot down and injured - and went back to serve again. All the while he married and raised a family.

Cecil's message was about seeing the goodness in everyone, opportunity in the ugliest of situations, and about our obligation to the great people that came before us and the forces that be - to see the beauty in our existences. If we can pass that beauty along, Cecil felt he did his job well. He ended every presentation with a teary eye and a hug and smile for every attendee.

Cecil died 10+ years ago, and I've yet to meet another inspirational person like him. I've met many good people, but Cecil was one of a kind. I miss him.

[Leung Ching Hei Kelvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was talking about racism between whites and blacks in the USA. In the ’40s, slavery in the United States was repealed. Black children could go to the same school with white students because the apartheid policy was disabled also. However, the relationship between blacks and whites wasn’t improved. For example, the black writer was assaulted by other white staff in the company because he didn’t know how to drive the car. Also, his younger friend was bullied by the whites schoolmates. His friend was threatened to kill his friend and blocked the school gate to stop him to go to school because he was black. But the most ridiculous was when the writer asked the feeling of his friend. He just replied, “nothing” frosty. In these situations, it proved that discrimination was serious in the USA.

I like this book very much. Although this story was short, it noted the situation of American blacks in the 1940s clearly. I appreciate one of the sentences in the story “ You can take the child out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the child.” This sentence told us we can try to avoid the disaster, but we mustn’t forget the disaster.

Although this book was talking about the situation in the 1940s, the event described in the book is still happening around us in the US. For instance, the white polices killed black people with no reason and school bullying in the USA. Although the relationship between blacks and whites has been improving, the discrimination between then still happening. According to the Washington Post, about 385 black people were killed by the cops. The number was 3 times of white people. It showed how serious is racism discrimination in the USA. I hope the USA can face the problem and solve it.

[James Pritchert · Rating 5 out of 5]

One terrific book that covers one man's journey regarding race relations in the United States. It is an eye opening adventure. I met the author and heard a presentation. Mighty powerful.