St. Paul recorder., 1963-09-19
Three Young ~-~.~
American Girls

all teenagerS-are In the Hlloole Oh
the civil rights fight in Chicago
and each has her own reason for
standing up and fighting.
Jayne Mueller is II. She has
been Kicked, spat at, attacked on
the streets and asked to leave her
apartment because she has Negro
friends she invites there. She is
white. NJ. r..
Linda Bryant Is 18. she has been
a slurn resident most Of her life.
She, too, has been, hecltled and
baited BY . antt2Negro counter
demonStratofs. She is a Negro, 3,
Sibyfls Bearsldn is 1s. The apart
ment she once called home was
stoned a few years ago by people
who didn't want her and her family
as neighbors. AS her name sug-
gests, Sibylle BeaTsldn is an
American Indian. ....
A white girl, Negro girl, and
an Indian girl = united in a COM
mon cause. Ptclzeting, demonstrat-
ing, battling for Justice and equal
ity for all people. This is the un-
usual story Of these three friends.
Sfbylle, Linda and Janye wear
proudly their most cherished badge
the knowledge that they have
each been to jail at least once in
their crusade. They, describe them
selves as "the three most active
girls" in the chicago civil rights
movement. They are serious, in
tense and extraordinarily dedicat-
ed young women.
Let's take a closer look at them.
Tall and quiet, Sibylle is from
Green Bay, Wisconsin, where she
is the only Indian in her high
school. It was back in 1860, while
she was visiting her uncle, Ben
Bearsldn, in Chicago that they
were forced to leave their home
because whites drove them out.
She's in Chicago for the Summer,
but about ready to return home.
She's been living with friend and
says her father does not know
about her civil rights activities.
They do not write each other, she
said.
Tive been told by some people
that I shouldn't be seen with Ne
groes in my neighborhood because
people didn't like it," Sibylle said.
But this young girl is not given to
taking advice that goes against
her grain.
Negroes, like any body else,
just want to do what anybody else
can do" she said with unusual
awareness of the racial problem.
Linda, the Negro girl, lives in a
housing development with her
mother who was an unsuccessful
candidate for alderman in the last
election. She appears to be shy and
insure of herself but her words, al
times, can be biting iwth sarcasm
Her parenst are divorced and
she spends some time with each
She is encouraged in her civil
rights work by her mother, but heI
grandmother thinks she ought tC
devote herself to other things.
MY grandmother wants to be
unslaved and everything" Linda
said. But she doesn't want tc
work for it."
Linda's social life revolves
around her friends in CORE. Some
few who don't belong to the mil
liant organization, Linda says
don't know white people and art
afraid of them.
Jane, the white girl, is a br1ght
and attractive young lady. ShC
talks fast and has a habit Of un
consciously tossing her long blonde
hair.
Her parents live in a Chicago
suburb but she shares an apart
ment in town with a friend Gail
ing her father fabulous, she sale
he disagrees with her religious anC
political beliefs, but because h
knows I'm sincere, he allows mi
to go my own way"
She works weekends as a volun
teer in a local mental institution
She quit fun time job as a re
cepionist to devote her time t
civil rights work.
Accused of biting a policeman
during one of the demonstration
at the board of education, she said
II was hungry because I hac
been on a hunger strike (whilt
sitting-in) for six days, but
wasn't hungry enough to eat 6
policeman"