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How Girl Scouts helped her ‘become person I am’ (Chicago Sun-Times)
In spite of its being then-segregated, its lessons lasted a lifetime:On Mar. 12, 1912, widowed socialite Juliette Gordon Low founded the American Girl Guides — later the Girl Scouts — with 18 girls in Savannah, Ga. Its mission: Building self-reliance and citizenship.
In 1917, the first African-American troop was started. The Girl Scouts stayed segregated until a strong ’50s integration push led the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1956 to call it “a force for desegregation.”
Proud organization, one which helps change its times for the better:Barbara Wilbourne, 82, of Savannah, joined one of the first African-American troops there in 1941.
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“Before 1943, Savannah was segregated, and Afro-American Girl Scouts did not exist,” she said. “I am not sure why a change was made, but I was invited to join Troop 61 with about 12 other Afro-American girls. We were excited to become a part of the group.
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“Scouting was a wonderful experience for me. With God, family and Girl Scouting, I have been helped to become the person I am today. Scouting experiences helped me to learn how to get along with people, develop good study habits and a deep love for God, and it helped me to become a good citizen and an understanding mother. I was able to complete my bachelor’s degree at Savannah State College with honors. I became an elementary school teacher in 1951 and a Girl Scout leader in 1952.”
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much more at link aboveToday, the Girl Scouts is thought the largest educational organization for girls in the world, with 3.7 million members internationally.