Sikeston graduate stars in 'Girls State' documentary

The "Girls State" documentary was released Friday, April 5. (Apple TV+)

“God can save the world, women will save America”.

This is a quote from Cecilia Barton in the new documentary “Girls State”, which was released Friday, April 5. Sikeston High School graduate Brooke Taylor who lives in Jackson, Missouri, was a part of this documentary.

The “Girls State” documentary follows young high school-aged females who are passionate about politics as they go through a weeklong immersive experiment to build a government from the ground up.

Taylor, who is the daughter of Justin and Shelley Taylor of Sikeston and Tara and Kevin Rhodes of Jackson, was a junior from Sikeston at the time of filming in the summer of 2022. Growing up, talking politics was the norm to her as her stepmother was a representative for three different counties until she termed out. Taylor said she remembered always having a box of candy to throw out of her dad’s pickup truck, and that her family always told her that politics was something she could do if she wanted.

At a young age, Taylor knew she wanted to be in politics in some way.

“It was never something that I was supposed to shy away from and I grew up in the arms of politics. It wasn’t until I was able to tour the Supreme Court and saw who is currently Chief Justice Mary Rhodes Russell in her robe and being so kind to me and letting me try on her robe that I decided that ‘hey, I can do that’,” Taylor said.

The process of getting into Girls State was a pretty wild ride Taylor said. The girls had to be chosen by their school and then they could start the process of sending in their resume and writing a few essays.

After the leg work of sending in those requirements, the girls had to get their funding, which Taylor said was a whole process within itself. She said the girls who attend Girls State are all top of their class, involved with very high GPAs, and are interested in politics.

To be in the actual documentary, Taylor and the other girls had to decide if they wanted to be followed around during the week and have their image released to Apple TV and the producers.

“I’d already decided that I wanted to be on the Supreme Court at Girls State. I was like, sure that would be interesting for them to follow because I’m pretty feisty. I don’t think I’m gonna back down, I think I’m gonna go straight for the Supreme Court. So I checked the “yes” box and they sent my application to the producers, including my resume,” she said.

There were around 500 girls at Girls State in 2022, Taylor said, and the producers had to narrow the choice down to a select few for the film.

The film covers the race for lieutenant governor and governor, as well as the application process for the Supreme Court, which Taylor was a part of.

After being selected to be on the Supreme Court at Girls State, Taylor and the others had their issues they were to rule over. The one Taylor and a few other girls received was one with a privacy issue. She said it involved a woman who was forced to go to therapy sessions before she could go through the process of getting an abortion in Missouri.

The Girl State Supreme Court ruled in favor of the prosecution and ruled it was a violation of her privacy to attend the therapy sessions. There were other topics of conversation the Girls State Supreme Court talked about, such as gun regulations and climate change.

“I believe that the congregation was in the right place; it was in the hands of young women whose overturning was going to affect a state that it was going to affect. It was a trigger law that enacted the state’s ability to define whether women can or can’t get an abortion in their state, and it took away any federal kind of role over abortion. So if this was filmed in a different state like California where it’s still legal to get an abortion, the conversation wouldn’t be as powerful as it is within the state of Missouri,” Taylor said about the film and the issues she was given to rule on.

The statement, “God can save the world, women will save America”, is from Cecilia Barton, who ended up being the 2022 Missouri Girls State Governor and a friend of Taylor, who agrees with the statement.

“I believe she’s completely correct. The idea that she was trying to get at within that statement, I believe, is that women and female representation within government will ultimately change so many policies and so many laws and so many rulings. It’ll change what the government looks like I believe,” Taylor said.

Taylor said she is forever grateful for being able to attend Girls State because it gave her the ability to see herself in a position of leadership or government. It gave her more confidence to put herself into the world with her future college career.

Taylor, who is the granddaughter of Steve and Pat Taylor of Sikeston and Marilyn Swisher of Liberty, Missouri, is now a freshman studying political science and economics at the University of Missouri’s Honors College, where she is an active student on campus and hosts a platform for political conversation.

“I say all power to any young woman who wants to be involved in politics, no matter what they believe or what they support. I support the voice of all young women,” Taylor said.

“Girls State” can be watched on Apple TV+.