Close your eyes. Keep them closed. Think back to your childhood when your grandmother or great-grandmother would gather everyone around and tell stories about their life, the things they experienced, give you advice while you helped them in the kitchen, or try to distract you while you were sitting in between their legs getting your hair done. Try to reimagine that moment and how it made you feel. Without realizing it, your ancestors were passing down their history to you – their descendants.
Unfortunately, all of my grands and greats have passed on. My parents, aunts, and uncles are now the ancestors of my children, nieces, and nephews. When I think of the knowledge that was passed down to us from them, I wish I would have stayed a little longer, listened a little more intently, and asked a few more questions.
We all have a group of celebrities that we have handpicked as our adopted relatives. After Maxine Waters famously, “reclaimed her time,” she automatically became our culture’s Auntie. Listening to Angela Rye and Symone Sanders read republicans for filth on CNN reminds us of our quick-finger cousins that always have a clap back ready at the Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner table. Whenever I watch an episode of Scandal with Papa Pope played by Joe Morton, or an episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air with Uncle Phil played by James Avery, I can’t help but feel like I am having a conversation with my father.
That warm, nostalgic, and familiar feeling is what envelops me as I read Cicely Tyson’s memoir from cover to cover. Just As I Am was released days after her death, almost as if she confirmed that her life was now complete. Even though Tyson wasn’t around long enough to experience the fruits of her labor, thankfully she received her flowers throughout her 96 years on earth.
In her lifetime, Tyson received three Primetime Emmy Awards, one Screen Actors Guild Award, one Tony Award, a Peabody Award, four Black Reel Awards, an Honorary Academy Award, and a Presidential Medal of Freedom. She was married twice (including eight years to Miles Davis) and had a daughter.
Just As I Am is a life story that needed to be told. Imagine someone that lived to be almost 100 years old. Her life spanned the Roaring ‘20’s, The Great Depression, World War II, The Montgomery Bus Boycott, the launch of Sputnik, The Civil Rights Act, the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert Kennedy, Roe v. Wade, the Gulf War, Y2K, 9/11, the first African-American President of the United States, same-sex marriage and the first African-American Vice President of the United States.
And those are just a few of the major events dating back to the 1920s. As an actress, imagine what was happening in Hollywood during this time. Then imagine all of these events through the lens of a Black woman.
She gained many life lessons and had a handful of rules that she lived by. After reading her memoir, there are some quotes that are going to stick with me and will forever reign true.
“Breathing while Black is trouble enough.”
“Pitting Black women against each other is the devil’s work.”
“To soar towards what is possible, you must leave behind what is comfortable.”
“When you know your history, you know your value. You recognize the price that has been paid for you to be here. You recognize what those who came before you built and sacrificed for you to inhabit the space in which you dwell.”
Let those sit with you for a little bit.
Tyson’s impeccable memory allowed her to recall her life as an adolescent growing up in Harlem, New York, her experiences on movie and television sets, and her romantic and professional relationships. I don’t want to spoil the memoir for anyone who plans to read it, but there is a very funny story about a “lovers quarrel” that she had with Miles Davis that is definitely a highlight. I will, however, share what she believed to be her secret to living 96 years in case anyone is searching for the fountain of youth. Tyson’s diet included lots of water, celery juice, salads, vegetables, juicing, and making regular visits to a naturopathic doctor, a masseuse, and an acupuncturist. Tyson was born with a heart murmur, was a skinny and frail child with the nickname “string bean,” and was the last remaining family member of her parents and siblings.
Just As I Am by Cicely Tyson is highly recommended. It is an informative, enlightening, and inspirational history lesson wrapped up in a warm hug and a hot plate of your favorite foods served by your grandmother. Please add this memoir to your reading list as it will not disappoint.
