The Little Rock Nine

 After Brown v. Board of Education (1954), the “separate but equal” ruling of Plessy v. Ferguson was overturned, and public schools were forced to integrate. However, the court ruled that it only applied to schools, so Jim Crow laws still ran rampant not only in the south, but all over the nation.

The first school to ever integreare high school students was Central high school in Little Rock, Arkansas. It was opposed by the community but the NAACP selected Minnijean Brown, Elizabeth Eckford, Ernest Green, Thelma Mothershed, Melba Patillo, Gloria Ray, Terrence Roberts, Jefferson Thomas and Carlotta Walls, to attend the school. They were later dubbed the 'Little Rock Nine' because of their bravery.

(womenshistory.org)

On the first day, the state governor, Orval Faubus, planned to call the Arkansas national guard to stop the students from entering the school in order to ‘protect’ the white students. In addition, the Mother’s League, a local anti-integration group, protested at the school. The community was adamant about keeping the school segregated, but federal judge Ronald Davies refused to halt the integration process and ordered for it to continue as planned, despite the extreme opposition and potential violence that could occur on the first day of school for the integrating students. 

The Arkansas national guard still showed up, blocking the students  from entering. The integrating students were yelled at by parents and students and were unable to enter the school. Robert Davies and President Eisenhower pushed back against governor Faubus, and Davies ordered the state national guard to leave and the little rock police to take their place to protect the students rather than hindering them from entering. 

(thegaurdian.com)

On September 25, 1957, the students successfully entered the school solely due to the protection of the guards sent by Eisenhower. They were faced with violent threats, hate speech, and a discriminatory environment in the actual school. Although escorting safely, over the course of the school year they endured physical and verbal violence from fellow students. Acid was poured on them, they received injury from being pushed down the stairs, their clothes were urinated on, and they were not allowed to participate in any  extracurriculars.

The governor of Arkansas continued to pursue implementing legal action against integration in the schools and the Little Rock Nine completed their education at other schools after enduring such an extreme level of trauma. 

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/central-high-school-integration

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Little-Rock-Nine

https://www.womenshistory.org/resources/general/little-rock-nine

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/24/little-rock-arkansas-school-segregation-racism