The Little Rock Nine is one of the most important events in the Civil Rights Movement. In 1957, a group of African-American students were enrolled in Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas. Despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s historic ruling in Brown v. Board of Education on May 17, 1954, declaring segregated schools unconstitutional, the students were prevented from entering the segregated school by Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus. Segregationist councils threatened to hold protests at Central High and physically block the black students from entering. Governor Faubus deployed the Arkansas National Guard to support the segregationists in preventing the Nine to enter the school. The sight of a line of soldiers blocking nine black students from attending high school made national headlines. President Dwight Eisenhower summoned Governor Faubus to meet with him. The President warned the governor not to interfere with the Supreme Court's ruling. After the intervention of President Eisenhower, the Little Rock Nine were allowed to attend the school, but it was never easy. They were taunted and harassed. One of the Little Rock Nine, Ernest Green, was the first African-American to graduate from Central High School. I visited Little Rock Central High School today. It is an historic landmark with a museum and visitor’s center; it is one of the best Civil Rights Museums I have been in, only second to the Lorraine Motel in Memphis.
This was a great Civil Rights Museum run by the National Park Service. It is across the street from the still-standing high school. It is free to enter.
This is Governor Faubus, who would not allow the Nine black students to go to school.
The Governor chose to ignore the Supreme Court's ruling and supported segregation.
He closed the school rather than let the Nine attend.
I loved this photo of a young Thurgood Marshall with the Little Rock Nine.
Little Rock Central High School is still a working high school. It is very beautiful. This is what it looks like today.
There is a pond in the front of the school. Around the pond are nine benches, each engraved with the name of one of the Little Rock Nine.
This was a painting in the museum of the Nine kids being escorted by the National Guard.
A statue of the Nine is in front of the Capitol Building in Little Rock.
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." ~~Margaret Mead
