Bridgeport author speaks to students about Black history and culture

Mary McBride Lee is the author of "At the Foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Bloody Sunday."

Frank Recchia and Rose Shannon

Mar 16, 2024, 11:57 AM

Updated 285 days ago

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A Bridgeport author spoke to a group of teens at the Stamford PAL building about her involvement in the Civil Rights Movement.
Mary McBride Lee is the author of "At the Foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Bloody Sunday."
The self-published book focuses on McBride Lee's participation in "Bloody Sunday" when she was 17.
She was a guest speaker at a youth advocacy group called DOPE INC, which stands for Don't Oppress People Educate Incorporated.
The group's founder say the organization teaches high school students about Black history and culture.
"We travel abroad, so we've been to Jamaica, the Ivory Coast, we've been to Ghana. And we're taking students to Ghana now so with that being said, we have the opportunity to take student abroad to see where everything actually happened and trace back their history and roots," said Chaquanzha Stephenson.
McBride Lee spoke to teens taking part in one of the group's programs called "right of passage", which promotes the idea that Black history is American history.
"You know, it just gives me chills to know that we are going to come into some young people that really want to know about their culture and about their history," said McBride Lee.