The American dream unfolds before your eyes as you read this compelling saga of a bright, young black man who left the hills of West Virginia because he dreamed of a better life. In Wheeling, West Virginia, Bill Burrus knew that racism and discrimination would plague his life forever because of the color of his skin, so he ventured to Cleveland, Ohio, at the age of twenty-one. From there, Bill takes you on a phenomenal journey from his first day as a postal employee through his gradual rise to becoming the first African American ever elected by the membership as the president of an international labor union. It is a journey that took him all over the world and gave him power and influence reserved for the highest offices in the land. Becoming president of the American Postal Workers Union did not occur overnight; this journey with Bill takes you through his trials and tribulations, along with the post office and national union politics that got him to the presidency. Bill Burrus is honest, forthright, and even self-criticizing as he chronicles details inside the American Postal Workers Union, where you can see both accomplishments and failures. My Journey is candid. —Louis “Lou” Stokes, Congressman, Retired
The American dream unfolds before your eyes as you read this compelling saga of a bright, young black man who left the hills of West Virginia because he dreamed of a better life. In Wheeling, West Virginia, Bill Burrus knew that racism and discrimination would plague his life forever because of the color of his skin, so he ventured to Cleveland, Ohio, at the age of twenty-one. From there, Bill takes you on a phenomenal journey from his first day as a postal employee through his gradual rise to becoming the first African American ever elected by the membership as the president of an international labor union. It is a journey that took him all over the world and gave him power and influence reserved for the highest offices in the land. Becoming president of the American Postal Workers Union did not occur overnight; this journey with Bill takes you through his trials and tribulations, along with the post office and national union politics that got him to the presidency. Bill Burrus is honest, forthright, and even self-criticizing as he chronicles details inside the American Postal Workers Union, where you can see both accomplishments and failures. My Journey is candid. —Louis “Lou” Stokes, Congressman, Retired