PARIS, Ky. (LEX 18) — The Paris 3 is the name for a group of three girls that took a stand in Bourbon County 65 years ago. This weekend, the community is honoring the actions of those three women and how it changed the town.
One of the three, Weida Allen, used to tell her grandkids a story.
“I used to joke with them. I said, you know, your granny has been in jail when she was 14,” Allen shared. “They put me in jail with a bunch of men.”
Allen, Augustine Fields, and Margaret Nichols were all three arrested for sitting in a segregated diner, and they spent 36 hours in jail. Their arrest led to boycotts, and it eventually caused a change.
“Because of the boycott at JJ Newberry's,” recalled Allen, “that JJ Newberry's was the first store that hired a black cashier in the front.”
Having heard this story growing up, Allen’s granddaughter Karrie Claybrook decided to make a documentary. She sat down with the three women to have them share their story.
“We showed it at the Hopewell Museum the very first time in November 2023,” Allen explained. “We probably expected about 25 people and it was over 200 people there.”
“A lot of people did not know about that, because once we got out of jail, we were told ‘Don't talk about it. It's done and it's over with. We don't need to discuss it anymore.’”
Now, the story of "The Paris 3" has traveled across the nation, and even to other countries around the globe. This weekend – 65 years after the Paris 3 were arrested – the local community is set to honor the women.
“Our community cannot move forward unless we move forward together,” said Allen.
Allen encourages others to share things they may have experienced years ago. “Everybody has a granny, and there's always more stories out there that needs to be told.
“We were in Arkansas. One girl came up to me, she said, 'My grandmother told me some of the things that happened when she was a little girl.’ I said, ‘Those stories need to be told.’”
To learn more about the story of the Paris 3, visit this link: The Difference You Can Make.
On Saturday, the Paris 3 documentary will be screened at the Hopewell Museum on Feb. 28 at 4 p.m.
Sunday, March 1 will be declared The Paris 3 Day. A proclamation reading will take place at the Bourbon County Courtroom – the original courtroom where the three were sentenced 65 years ago – followed by a walk to the bus station diner.
