Unlawfully Incarcerated

Emmarene’s Story

In the summer of 1963, at just 13 years old, I, Emmarene Kaigler Streeter, was unlawfully incarcerated in Americus, Georgia. Along with sixteen other girls aged 11-15, we were arrested for participating in a Civil Rights demonstration. Our detention, which included being held in a Lee County stockade under horrific, unsanitary, and terrifying conditions – without water, proper hygiene, or even a flushable toilet – became a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights Movement. Photographed by Danny Lyon inside the stockade, we were later dubbed the “Stolen Girls of the Lee County Stockade” by Essence Magazine. This is my autobiographical testimony of survival, faith, and the enduring lessons learned from that unforgettable experience.