Beneath the Bars of Justice

"Beneath the Bars of Justice," intended to educate and entertain, is a work of historical fiction about a Negro teenage girl's participation in the civil rights movement in 1962 and the week she and 66 other teenagers spent in jail. Although all lived in Albany, Georgia, they were jailed about 40 miles away in Camilla after being arrested in Albany for civil disobedience. Thirteen-year old SavannahBelle was not only charged with civil disobedience, but she was disobedient to her parents' admonition not to march in the protest rallies. Both weighed heavily on her, but her determination to be a part of the fight for freedom proved far stronger than any fear of punishment she might receive from either the law or her parents. However, she was in for a rude awakening and a quick real-life education. She was not prepared for the overcrowded and unsanitary conditions of the jail, the horrible food, the threats with vicious dogs, or some of the interactions among the girls. All was worth it, though, when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., visited them in jail. The summer of 1962 was unforgettable, and SavannahBelle was proud that she helped in the fight for freedom for Negroes not only in Albany but throughout America.