Georgia Gilmore was not a name that I was familiar with when thinking of the Civil Rights movement. I stumbled into her story while following podcast links about secret kitchens. Searching for one topic invariably leads me to another that fascinates me. I discovered the Hidden Kitchens series and their presentation on Mrs. Gilmore's significant contribution to the Civil Rights movement, specifically the Montgomery Bus Boycott. She was a creator of The Club from Nowhere – a group of women from Montgomery, Alabama, who baked pies, cookies, and cakes and sold them on street corners and through salons to raise money for the boycott. The name was chosen, so if questioned, members could honestly say the money came from “nowhere”. Her love of food and the connections it brought to people, along with her strong spirit, changed history.
“You cannot be afraid if you want to accomplish anything. You got to have the willing, the spirit, and above all, you got to have the get-up.” ~Georgia Gilmore
Georgia Gilmore uses her skills in the kitchen to raise funds for the civil rights movement
(S.S. Seay Sr. Educational Foundation)
Read more about her story through these links.
Overlooked No More: Georgia Gilmore, Who Fed and Funded the Montgomery Bus Boycott
The New York Times
In the Montgomery bus boycott, Georgia Gilmore fed workers, MLK, and everyone in between
Timeline.com
Hidden Kitchens, the duPont-Columbia and James Beard Award winning radio series on NPR’s Morning Edition, explores the world of unexpected, below the radar cooking, legendary meals and eating traditions — how communities come together through food. Hidden Kitchens travels the globe chronicling kitchen cultures, past and present. Produced by The Kitchen Sisters and mixed by Jim McKee
The Kitchen Sisters
* Top photo credit to: Timeline.com
