First African American library employee in Lee County: Mary Rice

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Mary Rice was Lee County's first African American Librarian.

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Fox 4 is teaming up with the Lee County Black History Society to take a walk down memory lane.

Mary Rice was the first African American employee in Lee County's library system.

In the early seventies, she spearheaded a group of women to form the Dunbar youth committee.

The group is responsible for establishing the first black library in the county, which now stands in Clemente Park.

Mary Rice then went on to become the first librarian.