Take action: click here to sign a petition to name the Savannah Bridge in honor of Juliette Gordon Low.
On September 28, 2017, the Savannah City Council approved a resolution to rename The Talmadge Memorial Bridge and passed the legislation to the Georgia General Assembly for a final vote. Residents of Savannah have been vying, albeit rather unsuccessfully, to replace the name on the historic bridge for years, but the 2018 session of Georgia’s 154th General Assembly is being met with newfound fervor for the cause. In true G.I.R.L (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader)™ fashion, the Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia have started a campaign to rename the bridge after their founder, Juliette Gordon Low.
As many as 300 Girl Scouts from across the state rallied at the Georgia State Capitol yesterday, February 6, to host a “milk and cookies” reception and conduct face-to-face meetings with Georgia lawmakers to address the change.
Though I could not be present at the State Capitol yesterday afternoon, I stand firmly behind my fellow Girl Scouts in their advocacy to rename the bridge spanning the Savannah River to the Juliette Gordon Low Bridge.
Most of us who have grown up in Georgia are no strangers to the city of Savannah and the iconic bridge that serves as a staple of its skyline; we have memories driving across it on road trips and field trips, speaking excitedly about ghost tours and River Street Sweets. Perhaps the most memorable of my drives across the bridge was while I was seated in the backseat of a tan minivan with three of my closest friends, laughing and singing along to Owl City’s “Good Time.” It was in 2012, as indicated by the fact that Owl City was still on the radio, and we were en route to a weekend in Savannah to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Girl Scouting, where we were joined by our peers from around the country. This drive is a common experience, a kinship even, between the thousands of Girl Scouts who travel to the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace historic site every year, and it would be especially fitting for the bridge spanning the Savannah River to be named to honor the legacy of the woman who brought us there.
It was in Savannah at the Birthplace, in fact, that I became acquainted with a particular quote by Low that has a special prominence in the midst of this movement.
"I've got something for the girls of Savannah, and all of America, and all the world, and we're going to start it tonight."
Girl Scouts is such a prominent organization and household name that it’s easy to overlook how daring an idea it was for founder Juliette Gordon Low to gather those first 18 girls in Savannah. It was in 1912, after all, and women would not earn the right to vote for another eight years. Low reached across ethnic, class and cultural boundaries to ensure that all girls had a place to become leaders with confidence and character.
From the first 18 girls to 2.6 million members and 59 million living alumnae later (that’s one in two American women), Juliette Gordon Low has made an extraordinary impact on the lives of millions of girls in Georgia, across the country and on the communities in which they reside.
From cleaning up their local highways and advocating for fair housing to hosting animal adoptions and operating an $800 million-a-year business –– The Girl Scout Cookie Program –– to becoming scientists, senators and CEOs, Low’s Girl Scouts are environmental, social and economic powerhouses who are collaborating to transform the world, reflecting the original spirit of Low’s movement.
To the legislators and residents of the state of Georgia, I implore you to consider Juliette Gordon Low for the namesake of the bridge crossing the Savannah River. Her courage to welcome girls of all backgrounds into her home and transform them into society’s leaders in 1912 is a crucial piece of Savannah history that encapsulates the essence of the “Hostess City of the South.” A bridge in her honor would stand as a testament to the values that make Savannah exceptional and would serve as a reminder of all that girls are capable of.
The premise of renaming the Eugene Talmadge Memorial Bridge is simple: the entrance to the city should not commemorate a man who divided us. Frankly, Juliette Gordon Low defies that statement on all counts; she is a woman who united us.
“My purpose...to go on with my heart and soul, devoting all my energies to Girl Scouts, and heart and hand with them, we will make our lives and the lives of the future girls happy, healthy and holy.” - Juliette Gordon Low
Take action: click here to sign a petition to name the Savannah Bridge in honor of Juliette Gordon Low.
