With the month of February dwindling down and March quickly approaching, we collegiettes have a lot on our minds. Spring break, midterms, warmer weather… but what about women’s rights? March is Women’s History Month. The Museum of Florida History is acknowledging both this important movement and the important movement of Black History Month with a discussion on February 27th, at 5:30 PM, with three phenomenal women about their personal experiences during the Civil Rights Movement in Florida. Dr. Gwendolyn Zoharah Simmons, Priscilla Stephens Kruize, and Sandra Parks will each be attending the discussion. Take a look at these amazing women and their accomplishments!
Dr. Gwendolyn Zoharah Simmons:
Active in the Freedom Summer in Mississippi, member of Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).
Source: religion.ufl.edu
Dr. Simmons has a long history in fields such as civil rights, human rights, and peace work. Both during and after college, she participated in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), one of the major organizations in the 1960s during the American Civil Rights Movement. Part of the SNCC was the Freedom Summer in Mississippi, a campaign beginning in 1964 to allow African-American women in Mississippi to vote. Dr. Simmons dedicated seven years of her life to working on voter registration and desegregation in southern states. She has continued her impressive contributions to society, and is currently working as an assistant professor of religion and affiliated faculty in the women’s studies department at the University of Florida. Her academic focus is on Islamic women.
Priscilla Stephens Kruize:
Leader in the Tallahassee movement and founding member of the Tallahassee chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE).
Priscilla Stephens Kruize being arrested at Tallahassee Regional Airport in 1961.
Source: floridamemory.com
Priscilla Stephens Kruize attended FAMU and founded Tallahassee’s chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). This young, determined activist of the Civil Rights Movement was kicked, arrested, and jailed during her impressive run. The picture above depicts Kruize’s arrest after her run in the Interfaith Freedom Rider movement, in which African-American riders challenged segregated bus systems by riding from Washington, D.C., to Tallahassee, FL. The Freedom Ride was successful; however, Kruize and 9 others, collectively known as the Tallahassee Ten, were arrested for attempting to dine in the airport’s segregated restaurants before catching a plane back to D.C. She also participated in a sit-in against lunch-counter segregation at Florida’s capital, for which she was jailed for 48 days — another instance of Kruize’s strength and determination.
Sandra Parks:
Active in the statewide Civil Rights Movement in Florida.
Sandra Parks with her passed husband, Stetson Kennedy.
Source: stetsinkennedy.com
Parks received a master’s degree in curriculum from the University of South Florida and further added to her knowledge with advanced studies in education at Harvard. Her past contributions include publishing educational books in the hopes of increasing minority student participation in gifted and academic programs. Her publications have been used not only in public schools in Florida, but also in North Carolina, Colorado, and Illinois. She also travels around the country to present critical thinking workshops at universities and school districts, and also serves as a curriculum and professional development consultant.
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