When thinking about girlhood, we all may not agree on what may be the right language to define it, but I think we can all agree that girlhood is not nearly talked about as it should be. Here, this exhibit will highlight the significance of girlhood as it pertains to civil rights activism throughout southwest Georgia; specifically Americus. During the era of Jim Crow, African Americans were segregated from white people in schools, housing, jobs, and public gathering places. In an attempt to challenge these acts of discrimination, we see the emergence of the Americus movement in 1963. This movement was led by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) where they practiced peace and direct activism. The significance of this movement…show more content… Carolyn DeLoatch was born in LaGrange, Georgia, but spent her childhood in Americus. She was raised by her mother and father, who both worked in the segregated school system during this time. Being that her parents were among the few African Americans of middle class status and were well known in the community, Ms. Deloatch was aware of the things that were expected of her. She often felt that her parents sheltered her from the racial tension of the time which made her want to get involved in the protests even more. Growing up early on, Ms. Deloatch found herself actively involved in peaceful protests, mass meetings, boycotts, and other demonstrations to challenge racism and inequality in America. One of these protests, shown down below, is a kneel that a group of young protestors, including Ms. Deloatch, was involved in. As part of this youth activism, in late July of 1963, a group of African Americans joined together in downtown Americus for a nonviolent protest at the Martin Theater against local segregation. What was intended to be peaceful ultimately ended in violent attacks by white mobs and the arrest of many of the protestors. While many of the protestors were later released, 35 African American girls were held in the Leesburg prison for nearly two months without their parents knowing where they were, with little to no food, and an overall unfit facility for one to be sustained in. These individuals were known as the “Stolen Girls” or “The Leesburg Stockade
