In Recognition of the 1963 Leesburg Stockade Women

Floor Speech

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Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize fifteen outstanding women who at a young age had the courage to take a stand for their rights and were imprisoned for it, enduring horrific conditions and circumstances while confined within a Civil War-era abandoned stockade located deep in the backwoods of Leesburg, Georgia. These brave women will be honored at the 1963 Leesburg Stockade Women's Honor Program. This exceptional tribute, sponsored by the Boys and Girls Club of Americus-Sumter County, will be held on Saturday, April 4, 2015 at 1:00 p.m. at Georgia Southwestern State University in Americus, Georgia.

Fifty-two years past, during a dark moment in our nation's history, fifteen valiant African-American adolescent girls from Americus, Georgia were unjustly imprisoned for their involvement in a peaceful Civil Rights protest in their hometown. Taken to the abandoned stockade, these girls, who were between 11 and 15 years of age, spent close to two months in conditions that were, quite simply, reprehensible. Deprived of clean water, adequate nutrition, proper hygiene, contact with their families, and other basic comforts, these innocent girls suffered acute physical and psychological turmoil as a result of their struggle for equality. Such wounds do not heal easily or quickly, yet even as cuts have turned to scars, these passionate and fiercely determined women have overcome.

With this resiliency in mind, it is my privilege to announce that these devoted citizens stand together, ever courageous, to share their stories with the public for the first time. Ten individuals--Dr. Shirley Green-Reese, Willie Mae Smith-Davis, Dr. Carol Barner Seay, Melinda Jones Williams, Verna Hollis, Billie Jo Thornton Allen, Diane Dorsey-Bowens, Lula Westbrooks Griffin, Laura Ruff Saunders and Emmarene Kaigler Streeter--will speak of their experiences at the event, bringing vibrant testimony to the turmoil and triumphs of the Civil Rights Movement. The remaining five women--Pearl Brown, Mattie Crittenden, Sandra Russell Mansfield, Annie Lou Ragans Laster, and Gloria Westbrooks Breedlove--are now deceased but will also be honored and remembered during the ceremony.

A number of local, state, and national figures, including Americus Mayor Barry Blount; Senior Vice President of the Boys and Girls Club of America, Dr. Damon A. Williams; and Museum Specialist at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Deborah Tulani Salahu-Din, will be present to commemorate the outstanding fortitude of these remarkable women. Terrible though it was, their ordeal continues to spread awareness for the critical nature of Civil Rights across the country and thankfully, their trials have not been in vain.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me today in paying tribute to the enduring spirits, the dignity, and the impact of these fifteen valiant women from Americus, Georgia. They are living proof that the occurrences of the past survive within us today. Let us always be grateful to the 1963 Leesburg Stockade Women who paved the way for a better today and a brighter tomorrow for all Americans.

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