In 'We Are Bridges,' A Writer Resurrects Her Great Grandfather's Memory
In 1904, Cassandra Lane's great grandfather Burt Bridges was lynched. In telling his story, Lane offers her own memoir — and lessons on family and American history for her future child and readers.
In 1904, Burt Bridges was a young husband — his wife Mary pregnant with their first child — and a successful shop owner with big dreams. He refused to surrender his store and "sell" his land to the white mayor of Holmesville, Mississippi.
For keeping his livelihood and providing for his family, Burt Bridges was lynched. Bridges was the great grandfather of Cassandra Lane, author of We Are Bridges: A Memoir, which won the Louise Meriwether First Book Prize.
Burt was hung from a tree to die, possibly
