How Did I Get Here? The Force Within

A native of Roselle, New Jersey, Jean Bryant was a journalist for the before moving to Pittsburgh in 1972, when she was hired at the . She worked there 20 years until its demise in 1993. Later, she joined the and retired in 1999. In 1973, she established the Miss Black Teenage Pageant, an annual self-improvement program. In 1993, Bryant also founded Mister African American, an anti-violence program for young men. Some of the young people who attended her programs are successful lawyers, ministers, teachers, actors, businessmen and women, doctors and members of the judicial system. Over a 30-year period, her programs provided about $500,000 in educational scholarships, including tuition-free scholarships to Clarion University. Bryant is a member of Macedonia Baptist Church in the Hill District and the Pittsburgh Black Media Federation. She also is president of the Stanton Heights Community Organization and a member of New Horizon Theater's Auxiliary Board.