Playwright and actor Gin Hammond is honoring the legacy of her aunt Carolyn Beatrice Hammond Montier, affectionately known as Aunt Bebe, by sharing the story of the civil rights activist’s fascinating journey in her new book “Returning the Bones,” based on the play.

“Returning the Bones” explores Montier’s unlikely path to success despite the challenges of racial segregation, while lifting up and supporting other African Americans during the civil rights struggle spurred by Jim Crow policies in the U.S. Montier, a Howard University graduate, was one of few female doctors during that era, providing women with prenatal care, and helped other civil rights pioneers such as Martin Luther King, Jr. train Black activists to organize and stage sit-in protests.

Hammond, a graduate of Harvard University and Moscow Theatre, developed the play and material for the book after 10 years of research and interviews with her aunt.

Hammond sat down with BLK News Now! to discuss how her aunt’s ability to overcome adversity with bravery positively shaped the lives of herself and others, and how many of Montier’s experiences remain relevant to the conditions of African-American life today.

“Returning the Bones” is currently available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

More about Hammond and “Returning the Bones,” can be found here.