Josephine Groves Holloway

Josephine Amanda Groves Holloway (March 10, 1898 – December 7, 1988) was an American woman who broke the color barrier for African-American girls to become involved in scouting in the state of Tennessee. In 1933 she began organizing unofficial scout groups, which were recognized in 1942, and eventually desegregated.

She was honored by Girl Scouts of the USA with the naming of Camp Holloway in 1955, and with the "Hidden Heroine" award in 1976.

Early life and education Josephine Amanda Groves was born on March 10, 1898, in Cowpens, South Carolina. She was the seventh of ten children. Her parents were Emma Gray Groves and John Wesley Groves, a Methodist minister.

She attended Fisk University, a historically black university in Nashville, Tennessee, graduating in June 1923 with an A. B. Degree (a bachelor's). In 1926, Holloway obtained a second bachelor's degree at the Tennessee Agricultural & Industrial State College (now Tennessee State University). Upon marrying, however, she ceased working at the Bethlehem Center,

Holloway was the first African-American employed by the Girl Scouts in Middle Tennessee. In the 1976 celebration of the US bicentennial, she was given the "Hidden Heroine" award. In 1991, the Girl Scout headquarters opened the Josephine G. Holloway Historical Collection and Gallery.