1957: The Little Rock Nine
On September 4th, 1957, the National Guard blocked nine black students when they attempted to enter the recently desegregated Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Although the recent Brown vs. Board of Education decision had ruled that the segregation of schools was unconstitutional, the governor at the time, Orval Faubus, supported segregation and was responsible for the calling of the Guard.
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The nine students’ names were Minnijean Brown, Elizabeth Eckford, Ernest Green, Thelma Mothershed, Melba Patillo, Gloria Ray, Terrence Roberts, Jefferson Thomas, and Carlotta Walls. The Arkansas chapter of the NAACP had decided that these nine students would be best suited to be the first African-American students at Central High, and mentored them on various situations that might come up while they attended the previously all-white school.
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Faubrus announced on television that he was calling the National Guard for the nine student’s protection and to prevent violence. Blocked from entering the school, the nine faced a crowd of angry students, parents, and townspeople who opposed the integration of their school.
A federal judge named Richard Davies ordered that the National Guard be removed and replaced with police officers. However, although on September 23rd the police escorted the nine into the school, resulting riots forced them to remove the students almost immediately.
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Finally, on September 25th, President Eisenhower sent the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock and the nine students were finally able to attend classes. Although the students were successfully enrolled, they and their families continued to face harassment and violence throughout their education at Central High (i.e. Patillo had acid thrown in her face and Ray’s mother was fired from her state government job).
