By Noreen Kompanik
We stood in the main hallway entrance of Little Rock Central High School. As the bell rang between classes, students scurried to their lockers and their next class, happily chatting with friends along the way. Just another normal high school day for high school students in Little Rock, Arkansas.
But that wasn’t the case on September 4, 1957 for nine African-American teenagers. On that date, Minnijean Brown, Elizabeth Eckford, Ernest Green, Thelma Mothershed, Melba Pattillo, Carlotta Walls, Terrence Roberts, Jefferson Thomas and Gloria Ray walked out of their homes and stepped out into the pages of history—blazing a path for others to follow.
These brave intrepid souls entered the front lines in the battle for civil rights for all Americans as high-stake players in a public drama. The media coined the name “Little Rock Nine” to identify these first African-American students to desegregate Little Rock Central High School.
The massive structure in Arkansas’ capital city is a magnificent blend of Art Deco and Gothic Revival built in 1927 at a cost of $1.5 million. It was crowned “America’s Beautiful High School” by the American Institute of Architects. The institution featured 100 classrooms, capacity for over 2,000 students and a long-renowned academic excellence. The school has long been a focus of community pride serving as both a cultural symbol and a civic center. But unlike any other school in the U.S., Little Rock High School today is a National Historic Site. The still-functioning school of the Little Rock Nine houses a civil rights museum and offers ranger-led tours. Why? Because their compelling story is one that should never be forgotten in the annals of time.
A moving film at the Visitor Center first introduced us to all converging components which led to Little Rock being the forefront of the desegregation battle. It became the first major test of the federal government’s commitment to uphold the Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision. Their ruling justly determined that “Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal” thereby mandating the end to racial segregation in public education.
Despite the decision however, many schools in the South refused to admit black students. Daisy Bates, president of the Arkansas chapter of the NAACP pushed segregation in Little Rock believing it to be the right time and place. The school board pledged to voluntarily integrate and Superintendent Virgil Blossom devised a plan of gradual desegregation that would begin in 1957. Nine African-American students were recruited from the all-black Dunbar Junior High and Horace Mann High School to integrate the all-white Central High School and under federal court order.
These students were told they would not be able to participate in extracurricular activities if they transferred to Central High, including sports, attending football or basketball games, joining the choir or drama club or even attend prom. Many of the parents were threatened with job loss if they allowed their children to transfer.
But nine brave precious souls stepped up to the plate…not only because they believed this would provide a much better education, but because they believed in something bigger than themselves. They treaded into deeper, more turbulent waters and faced real terror and violence…because desegregation did not come easy to Little Rock.
On that fateful morning in 1957, the Little Rock Nine accompanied by their liaison and local ministers (both Black and White) gathered at the 16th Street entrance to Central High School. Elizabeth Eckford’s family somehow didn’t get the message on the meeting place and she arrived at the other end of the block by herself. She was met by a long gauntlet of angry locals, screaming threats and obscenities, and even spitting on the 15-year-old. The others were met by a belligerent white mob, shouting, throwing stones and threatening to kill the students. Black and white journalists covering the monumental story were beaten. America watched in shock as these events were broadcast onto the television screens of their living rooms. Worldwide coverage generated outrage and horror at the violent denial of basic rights.
The students arriving to the school were denied entry. Governor Orval Eugene Faubus with clear intent to defy a federal court order sent 270 soldiers from the Arkansas National Guard to block the doors of the school. He hollowly claimed that they were sent to protect the safety of the nine students, prevent violence and “maintain and restore order.”
On Sept 23, the students finally entered the school but outside rioting ensued and Little Rock police removed the Nine for their “safety.” On Sept 24, President Eisenhower sent units of the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division into Little Rock and federalized the Arkansas National Guard, charging them with protecting the nine students and escorting them into the school. On Sept 25, the Little Rock Nine under federal troop escort finally completed their first full day of school.
Student leaders pledged to obey the law and asked fellow students to do the same. In spite of this, the Nine were verbally and physically harassed throughout the school year. In her memoir, Warriors Don’t Cry, Melba Pattillo Beals describes harrowing ordeals that included taunting, threats by a lynch mob’s rope, attacks with sticks of dynamite, and even having acid sprayed in her eyes. Her brown and white saddle shoes are now part of a museum display that reads “I got up every morning, polished my saddle shoes and went off to war.” 62 years later as I stood in the Visitor Center, my eyes filled with tears as I couldn’t fathom the cruelty hurled at Melba and the other students.
Assigned guards walked the Nine from class to class. The guards however could not accompany them inside the classroom, bathrooms, or locker rooms where many incidents of violence occurred. Throughout the year, verbal and physical attacks continued. White students who tried to help received similar treatment including threats and hate mail. Daisy Bates, whose home was the official pick-up and drop-off site for the Little Rock Nine’s trips to and from Central High School was vandalized. Crosses were burned in her yard and passing cars fired shots through her windows.
One of the Nine, Minnijean Brown was suspended for dropping chili on a group of boys when they refused to let her pass to her seat in the cafeteria. She was later expelled after calling a group of girls who hit her with a purse full of locker combination locks “white trash.” As a result, students in the school ominously passed around cards with the chilling message “One down… Eight to go.”
The remainder of the Nine however somehow miraculously completed the school year. On May 25, 1958, Ernest Green, the only Little Rock Nine senior, became the first African-American graduate of Central High School.
Through it all, the Nine acted with dignity and courage, refusing to back down. I can only surmise that dressing every morning had to be like preparing for battle, not knowing what was coming next. But dress they did and with books in hand, they entered Little Rock Central High every school day.
As we sat in the auditorium (perhaps in some of the same seats occupied by the Little Rock Nine), there was not a dry eye as the park ranger explained how these atrocious yet historic events unfolded. The determination and bravery of this handful of young black students who used their voices to influence change during a turbulent time was incredulous. As Daisy Gates once said “Any time it takes 11,500 soldiers to ensure nine Negro children their constitutional rights in a democratic society I can’t be happy.” She went on to add “What is happening in Little Rock transcends segregation and integration…this is a question of right and wrong.”
The following year, the city’s high schools were closed to prevent further desegregation while the NAACP continued to legally pursue continuing integration. When the schools reopened in 1959, two of the Little Rock Nine returned, graduating in 1960. Of the remaining Nine, one received her diploma by correspondence courses, the rest completed their education at different high schools. Today, the Little Rock Central High School student body is approximately 54% Black and 43% White.
In November 1999, the Little Rock Nine were presented with a Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award bestowed by Congress for outstanding service to the country. On December 9. 2009, they celebrated a new civil rights milestone attending the inauguration of President Barack Obama.
Today, Little Rock Central High School stands as a powerful sentinel to basic equal rights. This beacon of hope for an underprivileged segment of our society still burns brightly today. May it forever burn as an eternal flame in our hearts.
If you Go:
Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site can only be accessed through guided ranger tours available through the National Park Service. These free tours are offered only on select weekdays at 9:00 A.M. and 1:00 PM. Reservations must be made by calling 501-374-1957 at least 48 hours in advance. No photos are allowed inside the school itself.
National Park Service
2120 W. Daisy L. Gatson Bates Drive
Little Rock, AR 72202
Website: https://www.nps.gov/chsc/index.htm
All photos by Noreen Kompanik
