John Conyers III gives inside look of his late congressman father in new book

A year after his father’s 2019 death, John Conyers III decided to take on a project his dad didn’t have the opportunity to finish. 

As the longest-serving Black member of Congress, John Conyers Jr. spent his career as a champion for civil and human rights. Before his death at 90, the elder Conyers spent decades chipping away at interviews in preparation for a book on his life. 

Conyers III kept that work in motion with a book proposal of his own, and, in 2023, signed a deal with the HarperCollins publishing company. The result is “My Father’s House,” which comes out Tuesday at major bookstores and retailers. 

In the book, Conyers III gives an inside look at the complicated relationship he had with his “Pop,” who closed out his historic career with a 2017 resignation from Congress amid allegations of sexual harassment, as well as the dynamic he had with his mother, Monica Conyers, a former Detroit City Council president. Conyers spent three years in federal prison after pleading guilty in 2009 to using her position on the council and a city pension board to solicit bribes from businessmen seeking city contracts or pension deals. 

The younger Conyers weaves together details of his father’s career and Detroit and American history. He also writes about coming of age in Detroit, his attempts at political office and interactions with his “uncles:” the late Detroit judge Damon Keith, former President Bill Clinton and civil rights activist Rev. Jesse Jackson. 

Source Booksellers will host a book talk at 6 p.m. Friday at Techtown Detroit to celebrate the release of “My Father’s House,” and Conyers Jr.’s birthday. Conyers III will take part in a discussion with Detroit native and journalist Jemele Hill and Lauren Winfrey of CBS News Detroit. The book will be available for purchase during and after the event and Conyers III will do a signing following the program. There is a free general admission on Eventbrite as well as a two-for-one deal for $16. General admission with a book ticket is $32.

Following in his father’s footsteps, Conyers III, 34, tried his hand at politics. 

In 2018 and 2022, he ran for Congress but failed to gain traction. Conyers III was denied a spot on the 2018 Democratic primary ballot to replace his father after coming up 1,000 signatures short on the nominating petitions required to be placed on the ballot. In a 2022 Congressional race, he received just 9% of the vote in Michigan’s primary election. Shri Thanedar went on to clinch the 13th Congressional District. 

Before entering politics, Conyers III moved between Detroit and California, working with a private hedge fund. He also spent time in New York, pursuing a career in music as a producer and performer. Currently, Conyers III is doing consulting work in Detroit and serving as the campaign manager for City Council District 5 candidate Chantel Watkins. On Friday, Watkins was among the candidates that the Detroit Election Commission declined to certify for the August primary ballot. Watkins said the election commission cited insufficient nominating petition signatures. She is challenging the decision. An appeal is being reviewed by the Michigan Department of State. 

Conyers III said Monday that amid the appeal process, he and Watkins will remain focused on engaging voters in District 5 and earning their trust and support. 

Conyers III spoke with BridgeDetroit about the writing process for “My Father’s House,” growing a closer relationship with his father and his latest foray into politics. 

BridgeDetroit: How did the writing process start? 

Conyers III: I did a lot of looking at my old interviews. I did my first interview in 2009 with my father. We had a manuscript that my father had worked on and my agent and I just really had an honest conversation on why publishers probably wouldn’t put this out because my father isn’t here for final approval. We repurposed a lot of the things that were already in the older manuscript. I wove in the history of the city and highlighted a lot of older luminaries that we don’t really talk about, like (civil rights activist and Conyers’ field representative) Arthur Featherstone. I really tried to weave those kinds of folks into the story because they’re part of my father’s story. There are folks that are often forgotten when we talk about Black political power in the city of Detroit. 

BridgeDetroit: Did you interview family members and friends of your dad’s?

Conyers III: I have interviewed friends of my father. Unfortunately, most of them have passed away. Not a lot of my family gave interviews. Fortunately for me, my uncle (Conyers Ford founder Nathan G. Conyers) did, and I got a lot of information. And I have my father’s first cousin, Clarence, who lives down in New Orleans. I had a lot of conversations with him, learned a lot about my family history on that side. So, it was amazing. 

BridgeDetroit: You write about your relationship with your father in the book. Were the two of you close? 

Conyers III: We weren’t always close; we ended up getting close. I would say, probably the 10 years prior to his death. When I was 18 or 19, I confronted him about what it was like growing up as the son of John Conyers and his absences. The first time I tried to have that conversation, he wasn’t prepared to have it. The second time I broached the subject, he took accountability for that and we were able to move forward and form a really close and tight bond. 

BridgeDetroit: When you were growing up, what part of the city did you live in? What was your childhood like? 

Conyers III: We lived in the Palmer Woods/Palmer Park area. That’s the house I grew up in, but I spent the majority of my time with my mother’s (Monica Conyers’) side of the family on West Chicago and Wyoming. 

In terms of what shaped my formative years, I was understanding and seeing the duality of these worlds, right? I go home and go to sleep in one of the nicest areas in the city. But I spent a lot of my time playing basketball and doing all the things in one of the worst parts of the city. That really gave me a perspective at an early age, without anyone ever telling me. I could see the difference (between the two Detroits), I could always see the difference.

BridgeDetroit: Your father knew so many politicians and influential people like former President Bill Clinton, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Berry Gordy and Stevie Wonder. Do you remember people coming by the house when you were growing up? 

Conyers III: Every Christmas we got something in the mail from Berry Gordy, and I used to look forward to them (the gifts) all the time. I really appreciated how I was raised because none of this stuff was important to my father. I admire him for being so consistent about his disregard for high society life. He was there to do the work, and so, there was never any importance placed on being with (influential) people. Everything was normal. My dad wasn’t like, ‘I’m about to meet with the president.’ He was just like, ‘Oh, that’s Bill Clinton.’

BridgeDetroit: Were there some important lessons you learned from your dad over the years?

Conyers III: One of the lessons I learned is that life isn’t fair. That stuck with me because I would love to be 6-foot-6 and be a professional basketball player, but that’s not the lottery I hit in life. Understanding that changed how I approach work, how I approach life, how I approach everything. Hardship and challenges are what enable people to ultimately thrive. I say this as a person who has ADHD and I’ve battled depression basically my entire life. Those hardships are what enable you to overcome and persevere.

BridgeDetroit: What were some of the challenges of writing “My Father’s House?” 

Conyers III: My father’s demographic is one that skews much older than me and the challenge was to write a book that was digestible for them, but I also wanted to write a book that my peers would want to read. Bridging that generational gap probably was the most difficult part. 

Another difficult part is just doing it (the writing), getting over that hump. It’s not lost on me that it is a difficult task to get an agent, to write the proposal, to get a publisher to produce the work. 

BridgeDetroit: How did your father’s sexual assault allegations imopact you? Does it change how you view his legacy?

Conyers III: I address this directly in the book, and I’d encourage anyone genuinely interested in understanding the nuance to read it. 

What I will say here is that the situation was layered. My father was not in the best mental state toward the end of his career, and I believe that contributed to a lack of sound judgment—particularly in being involved with someone who worked for him. At the same time, I think it’s also true that people can take advantage of that kind of vulnerability for their own benefit.

As for how it shaped my view of him or his legacy, it didn’t fundamentally change it. I was aware of what was happening at the time, and I don’t view unsubstantiated allegations — especially ones that unfolded under such complex personal and political dynamics — as outweighing a lifetime of work that materially transformed the country. My father’s record stands, and so does my clarity about the situation.

BridgeDetroit: Have you thought about getting back into politics? 

Conyers III: I’m a Conyers, I don’t know if I’m ever out of politics. Maybe at some point, maybe not in Detroit. I have conversations with members of Congress quite often who don’t understand why I don’t get the support, so maybe I’ll go somewhere where I can get the support. 

Detroit is at a crossroads and it’s a unique time. There’s a lot of conversations about Detroit needing Black representation, but what our representation currently looks like would say otherwise. We have a white mayor, we have state senators like Mallory McMorrow and Stephanie Chang. We have (U.S. Reps) Shri Thanedar, Rashida Tlaib, you name it. The electorate is communicating differently than the politicians, so I don’t know. Maybe I will.

Right now, my full focus is on Chantel Watkins. 

I think the city needs young, energetic leadership. She has been an advocate, organizer and activist for over 15 years, and she’s the best person to succeed Mary Sheffield in District 5. She has a heart for people and the best thing about her is she understands the job, the role of City Council.

For me, I think that my job is building Black economic and political power so that Black Detroiters, and Detroiters in general, are able to shape this community in the way they want to see it. I want folks like myself, like my mother, like my neighbors, that have been here through all the ups and downs, I want them to always have a place and a meaningful say in the way that this city looks as we are reshaping a city that has been born again.