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AframNews
African-American News and Issues Newspaper
VOL. 22 ISSUE 20
AframNews
Did You Know? Ann Lane Petry 1908-1997
Dallas/ Ft. Worth Metroplex
LEDAJRICK COX: GONE TOO SOON
A
nn Lane Petry’s literacy talent exposed readers to issues of oppression and prejudice facing female Black Americans.
EDS H S Y D TRAGE T ON LIGH EDED E N N ACTIO TELY TO IA D E M M I
She was a distinguished novelist and short story writer as well as a civic activist. Her novel, The Street, was the first written by an African American that sold over one million copies.
P O T S
Experience Turns to Story Petry was born on October 12, 1908, in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, a predominantly White middle-class seaside neighborhood. Her parents, Peter C. Lane and Bertha James Lane, held significant stature in the community. Petry’s father was a pharmacist and owned drugstores in Old Saybrook and nearby Lyme. Her mother was a podiatrist, although she also tried her luck as a hairdresser, manufacturer, and businesswoman. Petry hailed from four generations of African Americans living in New England. She grew up hearing stories of her ancestors’ hardships, which eventually became central to her writings. Petry’s mother often read to her, which fueled her passion for literature. As she became old enough to understand the dynamics of racism and inequality, Petry determined to find a way to raise her voice in support of the struggle of the Black female in America.
ACK L B N -O BLACK IOLENCE V YOUTH
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