On Friday, Feb. 21, AARP Chapter 1062 will host speaker Loretta Thompson Harris at the Ocean City Free Public Library, 1735 Simpson Ave., in honor of Black History Month.
The free event will be held at 12:30 p.m. in the library's Room 111. Thompson Harris is a fourth generation Thompson to live in and around Ocean City.
Her family is one of the earliest black families to make Ocean City their home. Her great-grandfather arrived in Ocean City about the time the legendary Sindia sailing ship sank offshore in 1901.
Thompson Harris has been researching Ocean City’s African-American history for 25-plus years and is currently writing a book on the African-American community.
She will share her knowledge about the city's African-American neighborhood, the Westside, a close-knit community.
All are welcome. Refreshments will be served.
