Our Own Superhero
Meet Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee’s very own superhero and role model for girls across the nation – Josephine Groves Holloway.
Josephine Holloway was instrumental in desegregating the Girl Scout Council of Cumberland Valley, known today as Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee.
In 1942, Holloway established Troop 200 – Nashville’s first Black Girl Scout troop. She was also the first Black professional Girl Scout employee in Middle Tennessee – serving as a field advisor, district director, and camp director.
Holloway’s perseverance to establish Girl Scouting opportunities for Black girls spanned years before Troop 200’s debut. In 1924, Holloway attended a training session in Nashville with Girl Scout founder Juliette Gordon Low and was commissioned a Captain (leader). She was authorized to form troops for Black girls at the Bethlehem Center.
After leaving the Center, she later formed unofficial troops in the 1930s, using a copy of the Girl Scout handbook to lead her troops. These troops were finally officially recognized and registered in 1943.
When Holloway’s requests to start official troops for Black girls were finally granted, the momentum led to 13 new troops in 18 months.
In 1955, Camp Holloway, named after Josephine Groves Holloway, opened its grounds in Millersville, Tennessee.
Her Legacy Lives On
On July 23, 2019, relatives of Josephine Holloway, members of Nashville’s Metro Government, staff of Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee, and fellow Girl Scouts gathered to celebrate the installation of the historical marker that now sits on the corner of Granny White Pike and Battery Lane.
This project was a great learning opportunity for Troop 1347, who realized we have the power to make changes within our own community.
Today, Camp Holloway is proud to be a camp for all girls to discover, explore, and break down barriers – just as Josephine Holloway intended. We all continue to be inspired by Mrs. Holloway’s spirit and determination, and her legacy lives on.
Take a Stand To Make the World a Better Place
Learn more about Troop 1347’s efforts to recognize the trailblazing legacy of Holloway, who founded Middle Tennessee’s first Girl Scout troops for Black girls and was once honored as Middle Tennessee’s “Hidden Heroine” for her significant but unrecognized contributions to Girl Scouting and the advancement of civil rights, in this WPLN story.