Little Rock Nine

In 1954 was an important year for civil rights movements. The Civil Rights Movement gained momentum when the United States Supreme Court made segregation illegal in public schools in the case of Brown v. Board of Education. A couple years later in 1957 at Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, asked for volunteers from all black High Schools to attend formerly segregated schools. On September 3^rd, 1957 nine black students arrived at Central High School. Those nine students were Melba Pattillo, Ernest Green, Elizabeth Eckford, Minnijcan Brown, Terrence Roberts, Carlotta Walls, Jefferson Thomas, Gloria Kay, and Thelma Mothershed. Those nine students where known as Little Rock Nine. Little Rock Nine was the nine students who challenged racial segregation in Little Rock, Arkansas. Little Rock’s Board of Education warned them to not attend school the first day but to come the second day.

The image above is from Britannica and is of the day September 25^th when Federal troops escort the nine students to class.

 Upon arriving on their first day on the 3^rd of September, ministries accompanied the nine students. Once they got their they faced a mob and the National Guard. The Guard was sent there on order from Governor Orval Faubus. By sending the Guard, Governor Faubus declared his opposition to integration and his intention to defy a Federal Court Order. Governor Faubus said the National Guard was sent there to protect the students and for their safety, which they really weren’t. The confrontation in Little Rock drew international attention to racism and Civil Rights in the United States. And brought up the battle between the federal and state power. The mob the nine students encountered threatened their lives and threw stones at them and there were about 270 soldiers blocking the entrances to the school.

Elizabeth Eckford first day was not how she expected it to go. When she got to her new school, she followed the other students and seen the Guard opening ranks to let the students through, when she got the them, they closed their ranks and didn’t let her through. Elizabeth then went to another entrance and the Guard refused her entrance again by blocking her way with their rifles, so then she figured she go to main entrance. Upon her arrival at the main entrance the Guard the directed her across the street to the crowd, she soon realized that they were barring her, and she wouldn’t go to school today. The National guard was removed by order of a Federal Judge. A couple weeks later the nine students returned on the 23^rd of September. They were escorted to a side entrance by the police to avoid protestors. They were soon discovered at the school and removed for their safety. White protestors grew angry and became violent and started to attack African American bystanders and they even attacked reporters from the Northern Newspaper. The nine students were eventually removed because of this and for their safety, the students attended three hours of classes. Little Rock Nine returned to Central High School on September 25^th. President D. Eisenhower intervened and ordered Federal Troops to escort them upon their arrival and escorted them to and from class. The students still faced harassment and prejudice. One of the nine students were expelled from the school for fighting whom was Minnijen Brown.

The remaining eight finished the academic school year at Central High School. In 1958, Ernest Green became the first African American to graduate from Little Rock Central High School.

The image above is from Afro and is Ernest Green receiving his diploma from Central High School in 1958.

Governor Faubus was reelected in 1958, rather than permitting desegregation he closed all Little Rock’s schools. Many school districts in the south followed Little Rock’s example of closing schools. Governor Faubus implemented school choice programs that subsidized white students’ attendance at private segregated academies. Which these programs were not covered by the Supreme Court decision. Little Rock Central High School did not reopen with a desegregated body until 1960. But their effort brought much needed attention to the issue of desegregation and fueled protests from both sides. The effort to integrate schools and other public areas throughout the continued through the 1960s.

Now onto how this connect to are passage of Gaudium et spes, these nine students fought for the rights for African Americans who were scared to attend the newly non-segregated public schools. The authority of Arkansas and the people in the community tried to stop them and not let them enter the school, but the Little Rock Nine kept trying and succeeded. If it wasn’t for these students are schools maybe could be different and we could still have segregated schools maybe. It connects to the passage of Gaudium et spes in how citizens our defending their own right and other citizens’ rights against the abuse of the authority trying to stop it from happening. To read up more on Little Rock Nine visit The Guardian and to learn more about the first African American to graduate from Central High School, Ernest Green visit the History Makers.