Juliette Derricotte was born in Athens, Georgia, Her parents, Isaac and Laura, were former slaves,[1] but at the time of her birth they worked as cobbler and a seamstress.

As a child she wanted to attend the Lucy Cobb Institute in Athens but at that time the school was segregated and did not accept Black girls.

She became the YWCA secretary of the National Student Council, where her responsibilities included visiting colleges, planning conferences, and fostering ideas and leadership.

Her travels included a seven-week trip to Mysore, India starting in December, 1928 to attend the World Student Christian Conference.

[5] She wrote about the insights and inspiration she gained from the trip in the African American magazine, The Crisis,[6] including the joy of seeing “friends working, thinking, playing, living together in the finest sort of fellowship.”.