Little Rock Nine

In 1957, 9 black students entered Little Rock's Central High School to enforce the 1954 Supreme Court 'Brown v Board of Education' that was passed to end 'separate but equal' and integrate schools.  The governor of Arkansas ordered the Arkansas National Guard to stop the kids from coming into the school, prompting  President Eisenhower called on the Army to escort them in.  These sculptures represent the students and are located just outside the Arkansas State Capitol.  The high school is still open today and they have a visitors center where you can read and watch videos of this historic event.  Sadly, we had time issues (too much to see, too little time) and only got to spend a few minutes there.  I think I could have spent a few hours there, listing to the news reports and the interviews.   And the rain prevented any pictures of the high school.

What an amazing time in history and how brave these 9 were.  What I saw at the visitors center  showed them walking in, scared to death & being taunted on a daily basis.  They were actually turned away on their first day and came back!!  The governor actually shut the school down for the 1958-59 school year to prevent integration.  It was reopened in the fall of 1959 and 2 of the 9 actually graduated from Central High.

The first of them to pass away died on September 5, 2010.  We were at the visitors center on September 2.

Amazing story...cannot wait to read more.  It was actually not before my time but to my credit I was only 22 days old.

One other thing...at the Clinton Library Store I saw what has to be the tackiest souvenir imaginable:  One of those things where you get the BB's in the little holes featured a picture of one of the Little Rock Nine.  Why would someone sell something like that?    Tacky.