Elsie Collins is not your normal, everyday college professor in America. In her youth, she started out as “Kissi”—a descendent of African slaves, living in Wilson’s Mill, North Carolina. Her upbringing brought her face-to-face with racism and discrimination, both subtly and overtly. The lines dividing black and white fascinated young Kissi; as she grew up, she decided to take a deeper look at race relations, nationwide. Blessed Are the Meek, the Humble, and the Bold is the memoir of Dr. Elsie Collins, a woman who spent nearly three-quarters of the twentieth century cutting through the color divide. Although she met with many challenges, Elsie never gave up on goals she had set for herself and her community. She never gave up on building strong relationships across lines of class, race, and culture. Elsie Collins has inspired hundreds on her long journey to personal freedom and success, from small towns in North Carolina to the big city of New York. Through the acquisition of knowledge, friendship, wisdom, she developed the judgment to discern when to be humble and when to be bold. Her story is a snapshot of race relations in America and a commentary on the insignificance of skin color in human relationships and in the search for the meaning of life.
