Civil Rights Survivor Shares Story 60 Years Later

After decades of silence, a Civil Rights hero is making sure the world remembers what happened to 14 teenage girls who stood up for justice.

Dr. Shirley Reese recently returned to the site in Lee County, Georgia, where she and 13 other girls were imprisoned for nearly two months in 1963. They had been jailed for challenging segregation in nearby Americus, but their story was overshadowed by the March on Washington happening at the same time.

"We were only children," Reese said. "Everybody should have been concerned about it during that time, but a lot of people in Americus had no idea this thing was going on."

The girls endured harsh conditions inside the stockade. They survived on just four hamburgers or egg sandwiches a day with no drinkable water, using food wrappers as toilet paper and washing torn pieces of their clothing under a dripping faucet to reuse them.

Their story briefly captured national attention when photographer Danny Lyon secretly took pictures through the stockade windows. But then the news cycle moved on, and for years Reese didn't know how to talk about what happened.

Why This Inspires

Now, Reese is teaming up with pastor and storyteller Donald Cole to write a book that will tell the complete story of the Leesburg Stockade Girls. She's determined to give these young activists the recognition they deserve, not just as a footnote in history but as heroes who fought to survive while standing up for justice.

The building has been preserved and a historical marker stands outside, but Reese says that's not enough. Her book will ensure that people understand it wasn't adult activists who spent those days inside, but adolescents who showed incredible courage.

The story of the Leesburg Stockade Girls reminds us that heroism often comes from unexpected places, and that even the youngest voices can change the world when they speak up for what's right.