Ravenna resident Eddie Mae Prisby celebrates 100 years

Eddie Mae Prisby blesses the food before guests eat. Family members and friends came together to celebrate with her. Asha Blake/The Portager.

Ravenna resident Eddie Mae Prisby celebrates 100 years

- Asha Blake

In Ravenna, Eddie Mae Prisby spends her days doing crossword puzzles and spending time with her family. Her personality, so full of life, keeps her going as she enthusiastically turns 100 years old.

Born Dec. 8, 1921, Prisby and her family were one of the first Black families to live in Kent. Her father, Henry Brown, worked for the railroad to bring in income for the family. Her mother, Nevannah Watkins, housed Black Kent State students because at the time, the university did not allow Black people to live on campus.  

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