The Sixth Generation
The Autobiography of Melvin Watt
From an enslaved ancestor to the halls of American power.
"The Sixth Generation” is a raw, honest account of a Black man's journey through a society shaped by White male dominance.
Mel exposes entrenched perceptions about class and race as he artfully describes how he came to understand them, the doubts and insecurities they inflicted on him, and his successes and failures at confronting, overcoming, and trying to change them.
Mel's story is deeply rooted in his family's history that traces back to a matriarch enslaved in America in 1789 and in his own history that started in a house with no electricity or plumbing and culminated in Congress and a vital role in preserving the American dream of homeownership. Be prepared to cry, laugh and cheer as you take this riveting journey through his story and years of history.
The Sixth Generation is also available for purchase online at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com, as well as in bookstores.
About the Author
Melvin L. Watt (“Mel”) is a former North Carolina State Senator, Congressman, civil rights attorney, and former Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. A Mecklenburg County native, Mel graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and earned his law degree from Yale Law School. He joined the Charlotte civil rights law firm founded by Julius Chambers, where he practiced law for more than two decades.
Mel served 21 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he helped lead efforts on voting rights, affordable housing, and economic equity, and later oversaw much of the nation’s housing finance system as FHFA Director during the Barack Obama and Donald Trump administrations.
Mel and his wife, Eulada, reside in Charlotte.
Contact
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