recy taylor in 1944. like the committee of equal justice for mrs. cy taylor, the free joan little movement was led primarily by african-american women in. and i will say this, in detroit, the free joan little movement was led by rosa parks. at her trial, defense attorneys tried to paint little as a typical black jezreel, a stereotype rooted in slavery. the credibility and they portray her as a prostitute. the suggested little actually wanted to have sex with the jailer but she seduced him and then killed him in an elaborate plot to escape. little's attorney on the other hand, said her story until much longer context. committed to the jury long passage from an african-american woman's 1982 essay for black protection and sexual vulnerability in the system for a white man could use them regularly. by reading the passage aloud and pointing to decades of abuse in the past, people witnessed black women's longstanding traditions of testimony and their attempt for dignity. after deliberating for over an hour, the jury unanimously voted to acquit joan little