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Josephine Holloway was determined to build up our children, and the Girl Scouts seemed perfect to help our girls see themselves in a positive light. But white folks didn’t see it like that.
Their excuse? It would cost too much to open a segregated facility. But that was a lie! They didn’t want to mix races. So she decided to ignore their racist rules – and did something amazing.
She started her own troop! Our girls didn’t need to assimilate to be equal. We could have our own thing! What happened after she’d amassed over 300 eager Black scouts?
The Girl Scouts asked HER to join THEM! But they only wanted her girls for the optics – to show integration.
She agreed – but her girls were treated poorly and were often ostracized, which hurt their morale. Holloway’s troop addressed Black girls’ needs – but the white organization was failing them! She realized her mistake too late. Still, her girls got a chance to win merit badges and outshine the rest, remembering that SHE believed in them no matter what.
Like Holloway and other women who started troops to uplift our girls, if we fight to uplift our children, we can help them overcome racist barriers and not only survive but thrive!