Little Rock Nine (2:28)
Led by civil rights pioneer Daisy Bates, these nine brave Arkansas teenagers broke through racial barriers to become the first black students to attend Little Rock High School.
View transcript
The Supreme Court outlawed school segregation in 1954, but some Southern politicians defied the law and refused to integrate their schools. That's when Daisy Bates, a newspaper columnist and NAACP leader, stepped in to change things. Daisy had already proven her bravery during World War 2; she had been the only woman pilot in the Arkansas Civil Air Patrol. In the summer of 1957, Bates found 9 young people willing to take a very big risk: enroll at Little Rock's all-White high school- Elizabeth Eckford, Carlotta Walls, Ernest Green, Minnijean Brown, Gloria Ray, Terrence Roberts, Thelma Mothershed, Melba Beals and Jefferson Thomas. On September 4th, Bates led them to school, protestors were out in full force. They screamed and spit at the Black students and waved signs accusing them of communism, atheism and genocide, but protestors weren't the only obstacle. Governor Orval Faubus sent the Arkansas National Guard with orders to surround the building and prevent the 9 students from entering. The image of armed soldiers keeping Black students out of school made international news. On September 12th, President Eisenhower met with Governor Faubus warning him to stop obstructing justice. When Faubus wouldn't back down, Eisenhower removed the Arkansas National Guard from state control and sent the Army's 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock. On September 25th 1957, 3 weeks after school opened, the 9 African American students finally went to class, escorted by the Army. Through the year they suffered more harassment, but in the spring Ernest Green, the oldest, became the 1st Black person to graduate from Little Rock Central. The rest followed later. The Little Rock 9 received the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1998. Daisy Bates continued her work as a civil rights leader until she died the following year. The Little Rock 9 reunited again in 2009 at President Obama's inauguration. Today in Little Rock, children of all races attend Daisy Bates Elementary School. But there's no school named for Orval Faubus.
Please note: This is an automated transcript and may contain transcription errors.
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