Thursday, March 10, 2011

Happy Birthday Girl Scouts, 99 years old

Girl Scouts was started by Juliette "Daisy" Gordon Low on March 12, 1912.

I was about 14 years old when this photo was taken in 1966. As a Cadette and Senior I was introduced local and world role models who were women. Scouts also taught me that diversity, citizen participation, and deep appreciation of the environment were also incredibly highly valued.

Throughout my scouting experience I was taught that giving back is a part of what one should do.

So here is a bit of history about GSUSA. The following is from Wikipedia's history entry for Girl Scouts of America.

"Most Girl Scout units were originally segregated by race according to state and local laws and customs. The first troop for African American girls was founded in 1917; the first American Indian troop was formed in New York State in 1921; and the first troop for Mexican Americans was formed in Houston, Texas, in 1922. I

By the 1950s, the GSUSA had begun significant national efforts to desegregate the camps and maintain racial balance. One of the first desegregations, accomplished by Murray Walls in 1956, was Camp Shantituck in Kentucky. [26] Later the same year, Martin Luther King, Jr.described Girl Scouts as "a force for desegregation". [27]"

http://www.girlscouts.org/

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